Prison officers won’t get E70,000 a year

AS a prison officer, I am deeply concerned that since my colleagues rejected Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s ‘proposal for organisational change,’ we have been subjected to a continuous barrage of criticism from the media and the minister.

Mr McDowell, in his response to the outcome of our ballot, said that “under the deal, a basic grade prison officer would have potentially earned almost E70,000 per year, at the top of the scale.” This has become the mantra of all commentators: the prison officers turned down E70,000 a year.

As a basic grade officer with nearly 16 years service, on the top of my scale, under the terms of minister’s ‘deal’ I could never have earned E70,000. Had the proposal been accepted, my maximum earnings (including Sustaining Progress and benchmarking increases) would have been E63,539 per year: a far cry from E70,000.

Even including any remaining increases in the life of Sustaining Progress, my maximum potential (at June 2006) is just over E66,000. I am one of hundreds of prison officers recruited before June, 1995, none of whom could earn E70,000 per year.

Patrick Jordan

St Patrick’s Institution

North Circular Road

Dublin 7