Petition · past parliament

Repeal section 127 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994

Closed 1,657 signatures

What the petition asks

Today the Scottish Justice Secretary announced that removal of the legal recourse clause in the VIRA agreement. This legitimises organising strike action for Prison Officers in Scotland. The same must now be afforded to Prison Officers in England, Wales and NI by repealing section 127.
In 1994 the Tory government made it illegal for Prison Officers to be induced to withhold their services or to commit a breach of discipline. This in effect made it illegal for Prison Officers to take legitimate strike action.
Prison Officers should be afforded the same rights as any other worker in the UK and be allowed to take industrial action up to and including strike action!
The government must repeal section 127 if they are committed to equality and fairness in the workplace.

Timeline

1 Nov 2015 Petition opened for signatures
1 May 2016 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 1,657
Status Closed
Opened 1 Nov 2015
Closed 1 May 2016

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.