Prison staff escalate pay dispute

Version 0 of 1.

Hundreds of staff in the Prison Service, including medical officers and psychologists, are beginning industrial action in a dispute over pay.

About 400 professional and technical workers are refusing to work overtime and are holding regular union meetings.

The dispute was caused because of a lack of funds to finance an equal pay settlement, their union Prospect said.

Union official Emily Boase said the expertise possessed by staff was "being treated with derision".

According to the union, the Prison Service failed to get enough money from the Treasury to finance a settlement this year.

Ms Boase said: "Our members work face-to-face with prisoners to prevent re-offending yet their expertise is being treated with derision."

The union said pay among its members was already low compared with other services.