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Prisons Minister Damian Hinds
PRISONS Minister Damian Hinds faced a grilling from prison officers at their annual conference in Eastbourne today.
The East Hampshire MP met cries of “answer the question!” from members of the POA union after failing to answer Yes or No on whether it was appropriate for prison officers to work until 68.
The union’s chairman Mark Fairhurst told the minister: “Our workplace has become more violent.
Our members face serious violence, crumbling workplaces and exposure to dangerous drugs — it is outrageous we still cannot legally use our industrial muscle to fight back and defend ourselves, writes STEVE GILLAN
MARK FAIRHURST highlights the main issues facing officers in a long neglected service, and raised by front-line delegates at POA conference last week, including understaffing, violence, bullying and the ongoing denial of workers’ right to strike
Working in a high-risk sector, prison officers’ calls for proper PPE must be heeded – and the POA will be fighting to ensure effective protection at work is delivered, writes MARK FAIRHURST