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12/11/2002
Prison officers threaten strike action over resettlement grants
The Prison Officers' Association (POA) in Northern Ireland has threatened strike action if the government does not offer financial assistance for resettling its members after the IRA spy-ring controversy.
Prison officers throughout the province have been forced to upgrade their safety measures and many will have to move home. According to POA chairman, Finlay Spratt, prison officers should not be expected to pay for resettlement as the NIO was the source for the security breach.
Mr Spratt said: "We will not leave any stone unturned until we achieve what we believe is a reasonable solution to this problem.
"It is totally unacceptable that we should have to pay out from our own pockets and go into debt to protect our families because of the actions of the Northern Ireland Office."
On October 4, hundreds of police officers descended on addresses in north and west Belfast – as well as Sinn Fein's Stormont offices – as part of investigations into republican intelligence gathering and an alleged IRA spy ring at the Northern Ireland Office.
So far 79 computers as well as 1,000 computer discs and 2,500 other exhibits have been seized, 19,000 pages of documents examined, 2,000 statements taken and 5,000 people spoken to in the course of the investigation. An extradition document of 3,000 pages has been forwarded to the DPP for consideration.
The names of perhaps as many as 2000 prison service staff in the province, in additional to many who have retired from the service, were found among the vast quantities of material seized.
The Prison Service has said that it will do all it can to protect its officers but warned the POA not to enter into action which could disrupt talks designed to resolve the matter.
(GMcG)
Prison officers throughout the province have been forced to upgrade their safety measures and many will have to move home. According to POA chairman, Finlay Spratt, prison officers should not be expected to pay for resettlement as the NIO was the source for the security breach.
Mr Spratt said: "We will not leave any stone unturned until we achieve what we believe is a reasonable solution to this problem.
"It is totally unacceptable that we should have to pay out from our own pockets and go into debt to protect our families because of the actions of the Northern Ireland Office."
On October 4, hundreds of police officers descended on addresses in north and west Belfast – as well as Sinn Fein's Stormont offices – as part of investigations into republican intelligence gathering and an alleged IRA spy ring at the Northern Ireland Office.
So far 79 computers as well as 1,000 computer discs and 2,500 other exhibits have been seized, 19,000 pages of documents examined, 2,000 statements taken and 5,000 people spoken to in the course of the investigation. An extradition document of 3,000 pages has been forwarded to the DPP for consideration.
The names of perhaps as many as 2000 prison service staff in the province, in additional to many who have retired from the service, were found among the vast quantities of material seized.
The Prison Service has said that it will do all it can to protect its officers but warned the POA not to enter into action which could disrupt talks designed to resolve the matter.
(GMcG)
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