All SA prisons in lockdown on Tuesday as union staffing dispute escalates

Every jail in the state has been locked down as a years-long staffing dispute abruptly escalates.

All South Australian prisons have been placed in lockdown as part of an ongoing industrial campaign by the prison officers union.

The lockdown, which was expected to last most of the day, is in response to a perceived lack of action over staffing shortages after cutbacks made under the former Liberal government.

PSA general secretary Natasha Brown said the union had been calling on the Labor government to take action over staffing levels since the election, but there had been no response.

The union has been urging the reinstatement of critical roles in each prison deleted under the former government’s “Better Prisons’’ policy.

It had prepared a “Safer Prisons’’ proposal addressing staffing needs across all SA prisons that was presented to the government last December and again last month and had been the subject of discussions.

The PSA contends staff shortages have resulted in unreasonable workloads and increased overtime for officers, prisoners’ out-of-cell time being reduced, drug-testing backlogs and reduced rehabilitation opportunities for prisoners.

Ms Brown said today’s action was “not taken lightly.’’

Yatala Labor Prison in SA.

“The action today is an indication of how serious our members’ concerns are, and reflects the sheer frustration our members feel,’’ she said.

“The PSA developed a detailed proposal outlining how modest increases in, and reallocation of, staffing could result in a more efficient prison system that is safer for both staff and prisoners.

“”Our realistic, practical and achievable plan for better and safer prisons in South Australia is based on the vast and expert experience of our members who work in prisons every day.

“Our members are calling for a small number of staff to be deployed into key roles specific to each prison site to ensure the safe and efficient operation of those prisons.

“The Department and the Minister have essentially dismissed our members’ concerns and have so far refused to consider, let alone commit to, any of the changes we have proposed.

“The Department and Minister have ignored our consistent calls since June last year to review the consequences of the previous government’s discredited job slashing policy.’’

Correctional Services Minister Joe Szakacs said Tuesday’s lockdown had not caused concerns about operational safety.

“As far as I’ve been briefed, there are some out-of-cell restrictions that will occur today but otherwise operational safety hasn’t been compromised at all,” he said.

He said the issues raised by the PSA had been ongoing for the past four-to-five years.

“So we can only do so much responding in a timely way but that’s exactly what we are doing – we are responding, and the department is responding, in a timely way,” he said.

Correctional Services Minister Joe Szakacs. Picture: Emma Brasier

“Where there is opportunity to recruit more, particularly with existing budgets, everything is on the table and that’s, up to six or seven days ago, the face-to-face conversations I was having with the PSA.”

Regarding claims of a backlog in drug testing because of staff shortages, Mr Szakacs said he did not have any information about the issue.

He said 3600 drug tests were undertaken last year amid Covid restrictions, and another 1000 have been undertaken since January.