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Staff in walkout at three prisons | |
(10 minutes later) | |
Prison officers at three jails in Yorkshire have walked out in protest after two colleagues were suspended. | |
About 400 staff are refusing to work at Lindholme and Moorlands prisons near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and at Everthorpe jail in East Yorkshire. | |
The walkouts happened when two officers were suspended at Lindholme, said the Prison Officers' Association (POA). | |
Only senior managers have been left in charge of the jails as talks take place to resolve the dispute, the POA said. | |
POA national vice chairman Steve Cox said the officers were suspended for remarks made during a disciplinary hearing into the dismissal of a female officer. | |
Arbitration service | |
He said she had been sacked last month for allegedly assaulting a male prisoner who was being restrained, an allegation which she and her colleagues denied. | |
Mr Cox said the union was urging the Prison Service to allow the arbitration service Acas to handle the dispute. | |
We are confident that the governor at Lindholme has acted in accordance with HM Prison Service policies and disciplinary procedures Ministry of Justice statement | |
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "The Ministry of Justice will take whatever action necessary to ensure that a safe and secure environment is maintained in all our prisons. | |
"We will not comment on the detail of the ongoing investigation. | |
"However, we are confident that the governor at Lindholme has acted in accordance with HM Prison Service policies and disciplinary procedures. | |
"If the Prison Officers' Association have any issues with the way he has conducted this disciplinary procedure there are existing channels that they can use to raise this with him." | |
Police monitoring | |
POA national executive officer Joe Simpson said the suspensions were "the last straw" for officers who were angry at the way they were being treated by prison management. | |
"Members of staff are currently outside the jail having withdrawn their labour as individuals," he said. | "Members of staff are currently outside the jail having withdrawn their labour as individuals," he said. |
"They walked out at 1230 after a branch meeting. | "They walked out at 1230 after a branch meeting. |
"We are hoping senior management will come to their senses and decide they do not want this dispute to go on." | "We are hoping senior management will come to their senses and decide they do not want this dispute to go on." |
South Yorkshire Police said it had sent officers to monitor the situation at Lindholme and Moorlands prisons. | |
"We have been assured there are no security problems as all the prisoners have been locked up and everything is under control," a force spokeswoman said. |