Prison officers let loose on McDowell

PRISON officers didn’t pull any punches yesterday in a bitter attack on Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s “master plans” for the Prison Service.

The president of the Prison Officers’ Association Gabriel Keaveny delivered several body-blows to the minister in hard-hitting speech to the POA’s annual conference in Ennis, Co Clare.

Last year, most of the delegates stormed out during Mr McDowell’s speech in protest at his radical plans to cut prison overtime, first revealed in the Irish Examiner that morning. Delegates had read that the minister was giving them just 90 days to agree to a deal to halve the 60 million annual overtime bill.

Speaking directly to Mr McDowell yesterday, Mr Keaveny said: “Some of you heard the minister deliver his master plan for our future, one of many of Mr McDowell’s master plans for the Irish Prison Service.

“You were presented with a take it or leave it option and you were given 90 days to consider and agree with the management proposal or else it would be forced down our throats.”

To hoots from delegates, he said: “Well delegates those 90 days long since have passed and the Prison Officers’ Association is still alive and well.”

Mr Keaveny accused prison management of “bullying” and accused people in the Department of Justice of engaging in “Thatcherism”. He appealed to the minister to stop announcing his “many, many master plans” over the media and first negotiate with the POA.

On finishing his speech, Mr Keaveny received a standing ovation from delegates, as well as from Mr McDowell.

Earlier, Mr McDowell received applause and a few chuckles from delegates, in a speech peppered with compliments about prison officers. He then had to sit through Mr Keaveny’s tirade and, at times, looked uncomfortable.

In his speech, Mr Keaveny told delegates the POA was ready to take legal action against the Government for not giving officers their pay awards under the benchmarking process. However, he said progress was being made in talks with the Prison Service at the Labour Relations Commission in reaching a deal on cutting overtime.

Mr Keaveny said last year he asked Mr McDowell to set up an independent review of bullying and harassment in the Prison Service, but said there had been no response to date.