Threat of prison officers’ strike over overtime pay increases

PRISON officers yesterday accused their employers of failing to come with any concrete proposals to cut the €60m annual overtime bill, increasing the threat of a strike.

The officers have been given until the end of July to agree on a package of measures designed to effectively eliminate the overtime bill.

But the Prison Officers’ Association, following a meeting with the Irish Prison Service yesterday, claimed there are no detailed proposals on the table. “It now becomes clear that we were given 90 days to agree to proposals that do not exist,” said senior POA official Gerry Wilson.