NI prison officers dispute 'resolved'

A bitter dispute which threatened to plunge Northern Ireland’s prison system into crisis has been resolved, it was revealed today.

Warders who staged two mass walk-outs in protest at the personal protection packages offered by the government after their details were found on suspected IRA spy-lists have agreed not to strike again.

Prison Officers’ Association spokesman Finlay Spratt disclosed he had agreed a deal with management during crunch talks in Belfast.

He said: “We met half way and as far as I’m concerned the matter has been sorted out to everyone’s satisfaction.

“Prison officers are back at work as normal and there will be no more action.”

The row erupted after it emerged the names of nearly all staff at Northern Ireland’s main jails were on computer disks seized during raids to smash an alleged IRA intelligence gathering network at Stormont.

Safety schemes worth more than £20m (€31m) were made available to the 1,426 prison officers believed to be at risk following the disclosure in October.

But union chiefs had demanded minimum home security measures for around 200 staff whose families were put through weeks of anxiety before learning they were not on the list.

Angry officers caused major disruption to the whole service when they twice staged blue-flu walk-outs in a bid to put more pressure on prison chiefs.

Fears that tensions could explode inside either Maghaberry or Magilligan jails heightened when police were called in to guard inmates deprived of family visits during the strikes.

Mr Spratt had claimed the dispute could be resolved for as little as £70,000 (€109,000).

Only half of the 200 officers not included on the police’s risk assessment would want to install the low-grade package of home lighting and alarms, he argued.

Following yesterday’s meeting with the Prison Service’s personnel department Mr Spratt refused to give details on the agreement.

He said: “Management have said those not on the list who feel vulnerable can apply and their case will be considered in a normal way.

“I don’t consider there to be a winner, we are all losers in this. It’s just unfortunate we had to go down this path.”

A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Prison Service insisted officers not included on the list always had the option of applying for protection independently.

He added: “Good progress has been made in the discussions.

“We are not anticipating, as far as can be anticipated, any more action in the foreseeable future.”