Prison officers plan stop-work next week

Press, 13 February 1986, Page 3

Prison officers plan stop-work next week

PA Wellington Prison officers yesterday served notice that they would hold stopwork meetings on Thursday, February 20, if no date is set for “constructive talks” on their pay claim. A statement issued by the prison officers’ subgroup of the Public Service Association said that if negotiations were not agreed to (by the State Services Commission), members, including nursing staff, who seek recognition of the difficult environment in which they work, would consider further industrial action on that day.

The statement again expressed concern about comments by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, on the pay issue, and said that the association had

last lodged a pay claim for prison officers in 1978.

"Since then there have been considerable increases in responsibility and stress these members have undertaken,” the statement said.

“The University of Waikato produced a 1982 stress study which recommended improved careers and gradings for prison officers. The massive increase in the proportion of violent offenders in prisons continues.” The statement said prison officers had to keep custody and control of the worst of the offenders dealt with by the police. Mr Lange said last week that prison officers, as against police, were not subject to regular overtime, call-backs and what he called “grubby stuff.”