NT prison officers to walk off job on February 6 amid tense pay talks

More than 100 prison officers will walk off the job as tense pay talks between the union and Territory government continue. Read about the planned work stoppages.

More than 100 prison officers across the Territory will walk off the job in a fortnight after the government failed to meet the union’s pay rise demands, leaving at capacity prisons even more understaffed.

On February 6, more than 100 officers at Darwin Correctional Centre and Alice Springs Correctional Centre will strike for fours each day in work stoppages lasting five days.

However, the corrections union says strikes will continue past that week until the government tables a wage offer meeting members’ demands of a 6 per cent per annum pay rise.

“This is just going to be the start,” United Workers Union NT branch secretary Erina Early said.

Territory prison officers will walk off the job on February 6 amid tense pay talks. Picture: Jason Walls

“Members are of the view that they’ve had significant time to come back with a wage offer and they haven’t.

“They get two weeks and we’re not budging.

“Corrections officers will walk out every day.”

Ms Early said the union had provided notice of the strikes to the government on Friday after a deal for a new enterprise agreement was not met last week.

The union’s plans to strike come after it was revealed police watch houses across the Territory were being used to house remanded prisoners, with overflowing facilities in Darwin and Alice Springs unable to deal with increased inmate numbers.

New statistics also showed the number of prisoners remanded in custody across the Territory had increased by more than 50 per cent in the past three years.

United Workers Union NT branch secretary Erina Early said strikes would continue until the government met the union’s pay rise demands. Picture: Floss Adams

The government has not tabled a new pay offer after the corrections union rejected its proposal of 3 per cent per annum but it is understood to be exploring other incentives.

An annual incentive of $4000 for prison officers was offered in the government’s last proposal as well as an extra bonus of 1.25 per cent per year, with 87 per cent of union members knocking back the offer last month.

Public Employment Minister Paul Kirby said the government was working towards a new enterprise agreement, which would be tabled in the “near future”.

“Working closely with the Attorney-General and the Corrections Commissioner, we have made significant progress with a substantial attraction and retention allowance for Alice Springs officers and a concerted recruitment program with more officers to come on board in the coming months,” Mr Kirby said.

He said the government would work to ensure staff, prisoner and community safety during any strikes.

Correctional officers will walk off the job at Alice Springs Correctional Centre and Darwin Correctional Centre on February 6 if their demands for a 6 per cent pay rise aren’t met.

As part of the union’s industrial actions, corrections officers will not escort inmates to Territory prisons unless they require a medical escort.

Ms Early said the staffing crisis at Alice Springs Correctional Centre had forced up to 20 corrections officers to quit or give their notice in the past two months.

“In Alice Springs they’ve had enough,” she said.

“We still haven’t sorted the staffing levels.”

Earlier this month, it was revealed 80 extra prisoners would be housed at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre under a new plan to expand the facility’s capacity in an attempt to deal with overcrowding.