McDowell will meet POA but warns of quick fix

Jimmy Woulfe

The minister made this clear after his proposals were rejected by the POA and said suggestions the problems that had arisen could be resolved by a quick fix would require very careful scrutiny.

Mr McDowell said he would be publishing his proposals today on the privatisation of the Prison Escort Service.

Delegates at the annual POA conference voted in favour of a meeting with the minister on the package of reform they recently rejected.

Mr McDowell had brought forward the package to curtail the massive E60 million overtime bill paid to officers.

The package was recommended for approval by the executive of the POA.

However, last month, rank and file members of the association rejected the proposal by a more than two-to-one majority.

A decision to seek a meeting with the minister was taken during a three-hour private session at the conference in Castlebar yesterday.

The main provisions of the rejected package included a 39-hour working week with seven hours’ mandatory overtime per officer per week. For this, the officers were to get an 8% operational allowance and a lump sum of E13,750. It also provided for a salary structure ranging from E48,000 to E70,000 a year, depending on service.

Following the rejection of the package, Mr McDowell announced he was pressing ahead with reforms which included the closure of Spike Island and The Curragh prisons.

He also said he was going to privatise prison escorts which, he said, would yield a saving of E20m.

POA president Gabriel Keaveny said: “I urge the minister and his officials to listen to us as we endeavour to find a workable solution in the best interests of the prison service and our members. The fact that this proposal involves no additional costs whatsoever is a positive factor which cannot be ignored.We are keen to find a way forward and I believe we have achieved this.”