Alice Springs prison guards go on 12-hour strike over 'unsafe' conditions

Topic:Prisons

More than 80 prison guards took part in the strike. (ABC News: Elsie Lange)

In short:

Prison guards have marched through Alice Springs today as part of a 12-hour strike calling for safer conditions.

The strike went ahead despite a last-ditch attempt by Northern Territory Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley to prevent it through the Fair Work Condition, over concerns it could create unsafe conditions inside prisons.

The commissioner said the industrial action meant correctional facilities would have to go into "extended lockdowns".

Dozens of prison guards have marched through the streets of Alice Springs in industrial action over what they say are unresolved safety, staffing and workload failures by the Northern Territory Department of Corrections.

The planned action included a 12-hour work stoppage by corrections staff at Alice Springs prisons from 8am to 8pm today, with many claiming they were striking due to overcrowding in the prison and short-staffing, not because of pay.

Matthew Varley says the strike is unsafe and he has placed non-custodial staff inside prisons to address staff shortages during the planned action. (ABC Alice Springs: Xavier Martin)

NT Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley made an eleventh-hour attempt to stop the strike by lodging an appeal with the Fair Work Commission yesterday afternoon, arguing it was unsafe.

The Fair Work hearing continued until 10pm last night, however the appeal was ultimately was unsuccessful.

More than 80 corrections staff wove their way through the streets of Alice Springs today, stopping at the offices of local Country Liberal Party (CLP) members Bill Yan and Joshua Burgoyne.

Many of the strikers held placards bearing slogans about risk, short-staffing and crisis conditions, and the group stopped the march to all send text messages to Darwin radio station Mix 104.9 saying they were not striking over money, but about safety.

Dozens of prison guards texted into Darwin radio station Mix 104.9 to say they were striking over conditions, not pay. (ABC News: William Green )

United Workers Union NT secretary Erina Early said the action centred around a current enterprise bargaining offer from the NT government that would remove the requirement for the government to seek agreement from the union on staffing levels.

"Commissioner Varley has not cared about the safety of officers at all. As we know, there's been a 33 per cent increase in prisoners, but what has he done for officers?" Ms Early said.

"He has not fought for the safety of officers — we know there's a huge increase in [assaults against officers], he's done nothing."

Prison guards hold placards before they begin their march through Alice Springs. (ABC News)

Concerns conditions worsening with tough-on-crime policy

One corrections officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing her job, said overcrowding inside the Alice Springs Correctional Centre was unsafe for staff and prisoners.

The woman, who has worked as a prison guard in Alice Springs for years, said she had seen conditions worsen since the NT's Country Liberal Party government implemented a tough-on-crime approach.

"I agree, let's reduce crime, but what are you doing in the back end? What infrastructure are you putting in?" she said.

"You can't just keep locking up all of these people and saying 'don't go to jail' … What solutions are you providing? Locking up people doesn't fix repeat offenders."

Workers say the Alice Springs Correctional Centre is unsafe. (Supplied: CASA)

Another prison guard, who also spoke anonymously, said prison guards at the correctional centre were understaffed and overworked.

"We've been working day and night… it's really busy [in the prison], we're short-staffed, we have to work double hours," he said.

"Most of the time you have to work double duties."

Extended lockdowns in wake of strike

Following the failure of his Fair Work appeal, this morning Commissioner Varley said the consequence of industrial action was that prisons would operate "under highly restricted and modified arrangements, including extended lockdowns".

A spokesperson from the Department of Corrections said that during lockdown conditions prisoners would be confined to their cells and all non-essential movement within the centres would be suspended, as would rehabilitation programs, education, personal and professional visits and work activities.

Only essential services such as meals, medical rounds, health and welfare checks would be maintained, with the focus being on safety, security and stability.

The prison has gone into extended lockdown during the strike. (ABC News: Hamish Harty)

"The commissioner has been clear that this model significantly degrades normal prison operations and is a measure of last resort."

Commissioner Varley also previously suggested the strike would hamper flood support, as some corrections staff were supporting flood recovery in the Top End.

"Planning a 12-hour work stoppage is also completely inappropriate at a time when corrections staff are actively supporting flood recovery efforts, emergency evacuation centres and are preparing for a severe cyclone in the coming days," Commissioner Varley said on Thursday afternoon.

Erina Early says it's "cynical" for the corrections commissioner to link the strike with ongoing flood recovery efforts. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)

But Ms Early said to link the timing of the action with ongoing natural disasters in the NT was "cynical and opportunistic".

"It's actually really inappropriate for him to say that because he hasn't asked for any [corrections] officer help in the Top End at all, I don't where he's getting that from," she said.

The corrections spokesperson said a total of 20 staff from across the department, including 10 from Darwin, were supporting operations in Alice Springs during the industrial action.

One prison officer told the ABC she was seeing up to 18 people in a cell designed for under 10 individuals, which was unsafe for staff as well. (ABC News: Elsie Lange)

"The timing of the action restricts efforts to continue to support and assist Territorians after major weather events and amid a severe tropical cyclone threat," they said.

The department spokesperson confirmed staff from private security firm G4S were providing support with hospital bed sits and prisoner escorts as normal.

"They are not going behind the wire," they said.

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