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| Jail staff on unofficial walkout | Jail staff on unofficial walkout |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Up to 200 staff at Liverpool Prison have staged an unofficial walk-out. | |
| The prison guards walked out at about 1400 GMT and held a meeting outside to discuss grievances with prison management and the government. | |
| The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said the dispute was over "bullying and harrassment" of staff following an employment tribunal bought by a member. | |
| The action has been condemned by the Prison Service as "unlawful" and said it was "wrong and unsafe". | The action has been condemned by the Prison Service as "unlawful" and said it was "wrong and unsafe". |
| Prisoners were notified of a "disruption to regime" by notices signed by the prison's governor Alan Brown. | |
| It is understood that staff already booked for duty are still working inside the prison. | |
| The prison is safe and secure Prison Service spokesman | |
| A Prison Service spokesman said the action related to an "ongoing investigation into an allegation within the prison". | A Prison Service spokesman said the action related to an "ongoing investigation into an allegation within the prison". |
| "This is being investigated under the National Offender Management Service's code of conduct and it is our belief that the actions taken so far by the prison management are appropriate within the circumstances. | "This is being investigated under the National Offender Management Service's code of conduct and it is our belief that the actions taken so far by the prison management are appropriate within the circumstances. |
| "The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (as amended) makes it unlawful to induce prison officers to go on strike or to take other industrial action which could put the safety of the public, prisoners or staff at risk. | "The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (as amended) makes it unlawful to induce prison officers to go on strike or to take other industrial action which could put the safety of the public, prisoners or staff at risk. |
| "The prison is safe and secure." | "The prison is safe and secure." |
| The officers held a mass meeting outside the prison | |
| The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said the dispute follows an employment tribunal brought by one of its members against the Prison Service in September. | |
| The POA said both the governor of the prison and a deputy governor were "heavily criticised" by the chairman of the tribunal. | |
| A POA statement said: "Unfortunately since that time POA members at HMP Liverpool have been subjected to what they describe as 'continued bullying and harassment' by the senior management at the establishment." | |
| Colin Moses, national chairman of the POA, called on ministers to intervene. | |
| He said: "We can only hope that Prison Service management will engage in a positive manner to resolve this dispute, rather than, as we have seen on previous occasions when they have resorted to the courts as a first response. | |
| "We ask Jack Straw and Maria Eagle to intervene to stop the bullying and harassment of the staff at Liverpool Prison." |