WORKFORCE MODERNISATION IN THE PRISON SERVICE

That this House notes prison officers' overwhelming rejection of the Government's workforce modernisation proposals for the Prison Service, with around 84 per cent. voting against the measures; further notes that the proposed re-structuring includes measures that could threaten to de-skill the workforce with the introduction of a new lower grade and lower paid prison officer, a compulsory annual fitness test as opposed to continuous occupational health monitoring with appropriate support and non-consolidated pay awards after a year which would disadvantage prison officers' pensions; regrets the low morale already amongst prison officers due to increasing workloads, a soaring prison population, lack of investment in frontline staff, privatisation and the denial of basic trade union rights; believes that efficiency savings should not come at the cost of unsafe working conditions and practices; and urges the Government to halt the implementation of workforce modernisation and instead enter into meaningful negotiations with the Prison Officers' Association.