Parklea Prison strike: Officers share stories of abuse, assault, and safety fears

Prison staff have walked off the job over concerns for their safety. They claim understaffing is putting them at risk.

Fears for personal safety, understaffing in maximum security wings, and pay stoushes have led prison officers at a Sydney jail to go on strike for 48 hours.

Industrial action at Parklea Correctional Centre in Sydney’s west began at 6am on Friday and will continue until Sunday.

It comes as staff call for a 1.5 per cent wage increase to help retain and attract new staff.

Third year officer, Davina Hopwood estimates that on weekends just two or three guards are allocated to wings which can house up to 120 maximum-security inmates.

“You’re put under so much pressure. They want to let these inmates out but it’s becoming dangerous,” she told NCA NewsWire.

“You just pray that nothing happens because if something does actually go down, you’re not going to have the staff to cover it.”

Staff from Parklea Correctional Centre will go on strike for 48 hours until Sunday morning. Picture: CSNSW

Fellow prison officer Mark Ward has been working at the Parklea facility for 13 years. He says in the last two months there have been six assaults on staff.

“Being spat on isn’t the best thing in the world and it happens regularly. An assault can be down to a push or a shove but you also get violent threats and death threats,” he said.

“There’s a lot of times inmates will support officers but they’re in green and we’re in khaki, so to speak. They get caught up in the mode and get dragged into it.”

Mark Ward and Davina Hopwood. Picture: Supplied/ NCA NewsWire.

Ms Hopwood says managing conflict is “part of the job”. She’s been called names and stormed on by inmates, with one incident requiring the use of force.

“It’s a hard job. If you’re understaffed some inmates will try their luck. There have been staff assaults were they have been hit,” she says.

“About a year ago, one officer was hit and fractured around the eye socket. He had to go to hospital. There was another officer a while back who got attacked with a shiv.

“Everyone’s got families and a life out of here. You come into work, you want to go home.”

Staff from Parklea Correctional Centre went on strike over staffing and safety concerns. Picture: Supplied/ NCA NewsWire.

According to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), Parklea Prison, which is privately run by American multinational MTC, has one of the worst records for serious assaults on officers across the state.

“We know of Prison Officers being king hit from behind, having shivs held to their throats, being punched in the face, and having faeces thrown on them,” said CPSU NSW Assistant General Secretary Troy Wright.

“The violence in the prison is due to chronic understaffing and the sad reality is every time MTC doesn’t roster enough people they get to keep the money so they have no incentive to run the prison safely.”

The CSPU also claims their staff are some of the worst paid prison officers in NSW. Unlike their colleagues in state-managed prisons, Parklea Correctional Centre workers aren’t paid weekend penalty rates.

As a result, staff are calling for a pay increase of 3.5 per cent. Mr Wright says more competitive wages will also attract more staff, and help retain existing officers.

“One officer was just telling me there’s 26 staff leaving next month to go to another employer. That’s a huge hole in their operations,” Mr Wright added.

Originally published as Parklea Prison strike: Officers share stories of abuse, assault, and safety fears