Liberals push prison workers to crisis point

Tasmanian Labor
  • Prison workers again forced to implement work bans
  • Liberals continue to ignore desperate pleas from prison workers for help
  • Correctional officers and inmates health and safety at risk
  • Prison workers have once again been pushed to crisis point and forced to implement work bans because of the Hodgman Liberal Government’s refusal to listen to safety concerns.

    Just weeks after taking stop work action, correctional officers have today introduced overtime bans and recalls, meaning rosters will be understaffed across the prison.

    Shadow Corrections Minister, Ella Haddad, said the Hodgman Government must finally act on desperate pleas from prison workers for help.

    “Risdon has been a pressure cooker for months,” Ms Haddad said.

    “This action by United Workers Union workers sends the strong message to the government that their appalling prison mismanagement has pushed the prison system to crisis point and action is needed urgently.

    “Correctional officers play a vital role in keeping Tasmanians safe, but the Government doesn’t seem to care at all about their safety at work, let alone that of the inmates they work with every day.

    “Labor stands with correctional officers and supports their stop work action. It is critical the government does the same.

    “At a stop work meeting last month, correctional officers unanimously passed no confidence motions in the Premier and Corrections Minister. This is serious and the government needs to start hearing what they are saying.

    “The working conditions at Risdon put both inmates and correctional officers’ health and safety at risk.

    “It’s time the Liberals finally acted on the appalling state of Tasmania’s prison service. Dedicated Tasmanian workers deserve better.”

    Ella Haddad MP

    Shadow Corrections Minister

    /Public Release. View in full here.