Prison staff wildcat strikes spread
Wildcat strikes by prison officers have spread to a second jail, the Prison Officers' Association said.
Hundreds of officers at Risley Prison in Warrington walked out following a walkout at HMP Liverpool on Tuesday over allegations of bullying by the Governor.
Staff at Preston, Wandsworth and Cardiff prisons are threatening to stop work at lunchtime unless managers agree to talks, POA deputy general secretary Mark Freeman said.
Mr Freeman said he expected prison officers across England and Wales to follow suit.
He said: "The Prison Service's intransigence on this issue is ridiculous. They would not agree to a meeting to discuss this issue. The POA are holding out the olive branch.
"We have said to the Prison Service you can end this dispute now by agreeing to a dedicated meeting to discuss the bullying and harassment by senior management at Liverpool. They are refusing to do that.
"Some prisons had meetings this morning to discuss this issue. I would expect other prisons to follow suit."
Staff at Liverpool, one of Britain's biggest jails, continued a second day of unofficial strike action. About 200 staff are said to be at the protest.
Union sources said the Category B prison, in the Walton area of the city, is nearing its operational capacity of around 1,200 inmates.
The prisoners are understood to be locked in their cells as the jail is staffed by around 50 managers and non-union members. The Prison Service said the site is safe and secure, a claim disputed by the Prison Officers' Union (POA).
