Fair Work called in after Mount Gambier prison guards stage third strike over staffing levels and pay at G4S-owned jail

A major South Australian prison has called for help as staff walked off the job for the third time in a month over claims of dangerous guard-to-criminal ratios.

A private major South Australian prison has called in the Fair Work Commission as guards staged a third walkout over an ongoing dispute about working conditions.

Midway through a Wednesday’s strike Mount Gambier Prison owners G4S announced the cancellation of a meeting with union representatives instead requesting the commission’s assistance.

A spokesperson said it approached the Fair Work Commission “to assist in bargaining and resolving any issues”.

Prison guards from Mount Gambier Prison have stopped work again after the United Workers Union and G4S were unable to reach an agreement on pay dispute and staffing levels. Picture Arj Ganesan

“G4S are surprised that the bargaining representatives have rejected a fair and reasonable offer that provided a wage increase of the greater of 2.5 per cent or CPI and satisfied key claims (noting that year one included an uplift of 2.8 per cent or CPI),” the spokesperson said.

“G4S is always focused on maintaining the safety and wellbeing of employees and those in our care.

“G4S has and will continue to act lawfully, including negotiating in good faith with its employees and their bargaining representatives.”

United Workers Union organiser Darren Roberts said he was disappointed by G4S’s actions.

“In applying to the commission, they have now considered that the meeting shouldn’t go ahead, and there will be no further meetings for the remainder of the year,” Mr Roberts said.

Wednesday’s strike ran between noon and 5pm and follows two earlier walkouts that left behind only a skeleton crew.

Following a sit-down with the business last Thursday, union leaders said industrial action would continue to escalate over the Christmas period, claiming G4S had delivered a startling ultimatum.

Mr Roberts slammed the prison for trying to force an agreement saying the previous “fair and reasonable offer” has been lowered to between 1.5 and 2.5 per cent.

United Workers Union Organiser Darren Roberts. Picture: Arj Ganesan

“We see this as some form of intimidatory action … we see it as incredibly pig-headed,” he said.

Mr Roberts said safety was still the core of its dispute.

He said at one stage staff were left with ratios of one guard to 100 prisoners which “G4S recognised wasn’t sustainable” ceasing the practice since.

However, Mr Roberts added current ratios still were not safe.

While public prisons mandate “no prisoners is to be escorted without two officers” according to Mount Gambier guards, they have at times only had “one prison officer to an escort.”

“We feel that within the enterprise bargaining agreement, that there should be the minimum staffing levels and agreed staffing levels for each unit,” Mr Roberts said previously.

“It only takes one spark, and all of a sudden, you’re in danger.

“At the moment (the roster) is reliant on a lot of people doing overtime shifts, it’s reliant on people’s goodwill to make themselves available.”

“These workers have a dangerous and important job and G4S is willing to skirt on safety and reasonable wage increases in order to boost its profits.

“They are profiting off the back of the worker and the taxpayer, the least they could do is listen to the concerns of its hardworking employees.”

In 2017 a female Mount Gambier prison guard was raped by a convicted murderer who was 12 years into his 22-year minimum term.

A year later, management warned staff it would run “very lean” to secure a further bid to run the expanded 653-bed facility.