Latest editorial
YEARS of real terms wage cuts imposed by Tory ministers on prison officers have been a “slap in the face,” their union’s 2022 conference heard today.
Durham delegate Jon Newton told Prison Officers’ Association (POA) members gathered in Eastbourne that the “unacceptable” situation had led to overstretched staff being forced to take on overtime just to make ends meet.
His colleague Jordan Coombs said that, despite the additional challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, ministers had preferred a “load of thank yous” to a rise in workers’ take-home pay.
Our members face serious violence, crumbling workplaces and exposure to dangerous drugs — it is outrageous we still cannot legally use our industrial muscle to fight back and defend ourselves, writes STEVE GILLAN
Ben Chacko talks to RMT leader EDDIE DEMPSEY about how the key to fixing broken Britain lies in collective sectoral bargaining, restoring unions’ ability to take solidarity strike action and bringing about the much-vaunted ‘wave of insourcing’