Corrective Services wants major changes to prison officer work

The Department of Corrective Services announced yesterday, Monday 14 July, that it was seeking a profound change in the way that the service will be managed in the future.

Correctional Centres

Starting with Kempsey and Dilwynnia, the Department wants to change the working profile of prisons to reflect the following:

1. Separation of shifts of inmates who will have lunch in their cells.
2. Rolling let-go's of inmates using all available uniformed staff, POVB, COVB and Overseers.
3. The introduction of permanent part-time work with pro rata entitlements.

Elsewhere

1. Clustering of Correctional Centres for roster purposes where appropriate.
2. 2. Clustering of Courts and Correctional Centres for rostering purposes.

The POVB Executive has demanded a full roll out of the Department's plans and will not start negotiations until that happens.

It has also demanded that new systems of work should not be introduced unless full agreement has been reached and even then should be on a trial basis.

Nothing will be introduced until:

1. There is full agreement, or
2. The issue is referred to the Industrial Relations Commission as a Dispute.

A Special Management Committee Meeting of delegates will be called in the near future.