Prison officers meet McDowell to discuss overtime dispute

The Irish Prison Officers' Association is meeting Justice Minister Michael McDowell this morning to discuss the ongoing dispute over government plans to reduce the prison overtime bill.

The IPOA has rejected proposals put forward by the Prison Service that would have seen prison officers' salaries rise in return for a commitment to work seven hours of overtime every week.

The prison officers would also have received a one-off payment of around €14,000 each under the proposals, which were designed to reduce the prison overtime bill by around €25m per year.

Because of the IPOA's rejection of the deal, Mr McDowell has decided to unilaterally introduce a series of controversial cost-cutting measures.

These include the closure of prisons at Spike Island and the Curragh, the 'outsourcing' of Loughan House and Shelton Abbey to the private sector and the privatisation of the prison escort service.