Wildcat strike called off at Walton Prison

Aug 30 2007 by Paula Owens, Liverpool Daily Post

A WILDCAT strike joined by around 200 prison wardens at HMP Liverpool was called off last night after Justice Secretary Jack Straw offered “full and meaningful’’ talks in a bitter row over pay.

The Prison Officers Association said 20,000 of its members nationally took part in the illegal walkout from 7am, which took the Government and prison authorities by surprise.

Prison governors were called in to help keep control but three inmates managed to climb on to a roof at HMP Liverpool in Walton before being persuaded to return to their cells.

A team of 16 specially-trained officers temporarily broke off from the strike and went into the prison to bring the prisoners down, before rejoining the picket line.

Warders remained on strike throughout the day, despite a High Court injunction obtained at 1.20pm aimed at halting the walk-out by thousands nationwide, over pay.

Most looked set to continue taking action until 7am today. But the union’s executive decided last night to end the stoppage and said fresh talks would be held tomorrow.

Steve Gough, vice-chairman of the POA, said Mr Straw had offered fresh talks, which had persuaded the union’s executive to call off the strike.

He claimed the Government did not serve the court injunction on the union and said the action was only called off because of the offer of peace talks.

“The response from our members today was overwhelming,” he said.

Mr Straw said: “I am glad that the POA has issued this instruction to return to work.”

The strike was solidly supported at 131 prisons across England and Wales, leading to chaotic scenes with inmates being locked up in cells for long periods of the day, court cases cancelled and visitors told to stay away.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said that Mr Straw arranged to meet the union’s leadership before he knew about yesterday’s strikes.

The strike was held in protest at the Government’s controversial decision to pay a recommended 2.5% wage rise in two stages, reducing the value of the award to 1.9%.

In the High Court yesterday, Mr Justice Ramsey said there was an “overwhelming case” for granting the injunction after hearing the evidence that the POA had breached a Joint Industrial Relations Procedural Agreement which stops any form of industrial action.

He said the prisons were up to capacity and the effect of any strike in the prison service had “particularly difficult consequences”.

Mr Justice Ramsey said the prison population would suffer because they would not receive visits and it was unlikely any prisoners would be brought to court.

He ordered any members of the POA in court to respond “forthwith” to his injunction and immediately tell members to end the strike and return to work.

The Ministry of Justice had said the injunction prevented the Prison Officers’ Association from inducing, authorising or supporting any form of industrial action which would disrupt the operation of the Prison Service in England and Wales.

Before Mr Straw’s announcement Steve Baines, a POA official in Liverpool, had told cheering prison officers outside Walton the strike would remain in place until 7am today, despite the injunction

At around 2pm, three inmates gained access to the roof of H-wing, the jail’s vulnerable prisoner unit, but they could not be seen from the road outside as its roof is lower than the height of the outer walls.

The inmates remained on the roof for around an hour before they were returned to the building.

A POA branch representative for Walton said: “At 2pm the governor asked for help with an incident inside the prison where a number of inmates were moving about freely and had got into the roof space.

“We sent in what we call the Tornado Team which is a squad of 16 officers who are specially trained to deal with this kind of situation.

“The Tornado Team went in and within 30 minutes the situation had been contained.”