Birmingham prison officers vote on jail strike threat

The Birmingham Mail has today reported that the Prison Officer Association (POA) is to take an indicative ballot over industrial action following the announced privatisation of Winson Green prison.

Ken Clarke, the home secretary, has said that the army will be drafted in should prison officers take strike action.  Like the police, it is illegal for prison officers to strike, but 250 officers walked out following a meeting earlier this month when they were told that their jobs were to be privatised.

Birmingham Against the Cuts views privatisations as part of the cuts agenda, and expresses our solidarity with and support for prison officers who might take industrial action.

We hope that there will be a strong POA presence at the Save Our Services demonstration on April 30th, held as part of the celebrations of Mayday which is the traditional workers bank holiday, and a day where the trade union movement reflects on its history and considers the future.