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They went on strike at Wormwood Scrubs at 06.30 this morning for 24 hours. don't think it will be that long a strike, as i believe the Government will achieve an injunction declaring the strike illegal. i don't personally agree with strike action normally but it's about time the issues of assaults on Prison Staff was addressed, also the overcrowding, which is a contributory factor in these assaults. They are also on strike over their pay award, although i have less sympathy on this issue, as a senior officer this morning stated they were on ?30,000 per year.
my dad was a Prison Officer for 30 years and i still keep in touch with friends from those days, whose fathers are still in the job, and i know how low morale is in the Prison Service, especially over the number of assaults and the lack of prosecution of the offenders.

Hi Colin,
I remember you well. How are you?
Mike Freeman.

Well ?30,000 may include shift allowances etc. At the end of the day they are in daily contact with some individuals that many of us would cross the street to avoid. I know that's the reality of the job they signed up to but it doesn't alter the fact that there isn't a 'feelgood' factor to that aspect of the job ... of dealing with people whose moral compass is far from 'conventional'. Money doesn't change that but I suspect that money is less of an issue than their employer's duty of care .

How can strike action ever be illegal as slavery was abolished years ago which means if you wish not to work then you dont have to, of course you wont get paid, but wouldnt it be better if this stupid authoritarian goverment atempted to address the problem instead of running to the courts and getting an injuction which means fuck all in this case because if you lock the prison officers up then who is going to play jailer its no good thinking the army will do it as they are all out in Iraq being shot at !sad!

It would be tempting to think of the army looking after the prisons bringing the militarys approach to dealing with its own prisons rather than the approach that is used now.

Im all for the strike as they need better working conditions consiering the scum they have to deal with and the soul destroying way they now are expected to do it.

Our local paper Had the headline "Prison Gets Mixed Review" (though I am still trying to find where the good points that make it mixed are)the other day. The inspectors had been round to assess it. They found:

a ladder leant against one of the fences, left there by staff.
The front gates left open at night so the staff could park up more easily.
A serious drug problem.
A serious Bullying problem.
but it was all down to funding apparently. So a strike really won't make much difference to us as they are bloddy useless anyway.

I read that too, Harmonyluvver... We think of "our" local prison as low-category... but it is actually home to some of the highest category offenders for the worst possible crimes (albeit assessed as lower risk) - quite frightening isn't it! Especially when you also cosider the other establishment we have not a million miles away from it.

The report made me think of them as a work-shy lazy lot (the screws)... But then when you think about it, I suppose this is the attitude you develop when you're treated with ciontempt and like something nasty on the sole of your shoe by your employers and the inmates... and the media. Can we really expect any different.

Treat people right, value them and they'll respond accordingly. Treat them like shit and you'll get shit.