Prison officers have rejected the latest proposals to end the stand-off with management over new security measures at the country's jails and are to hold three further one-hour stoppages on December 12th, 19th and 21st.
Members of the Prison Officers' Association (POA) are in dispute with management over proposals to search prison officers before they go on duty.
The Prison Service says the measures are necessary to combat the smuggling of drugs, mobile phones and weapons into jails.
The POA, which supports the security measures in principle, says the checks should be included as part of the working day, and that clocking in should start before the officers have been searched.
The association's executive council yesterday rejected the latest proposals from the Prison Service to end the dispute.
The service proposed increasing the grace period for staff from 10 to 15 minutes at starting time and a further five minutes' grace for staff to return from lunch, which it said would ensure that the new screening procedures did not encroach on staff's own time.
POA president Jim Mitchell described the offer as "derisory" and said it did not address the fundamental issue, which had been agreed at arbitration in 2002, that the starting time for prison officers should be the nearest entry point for work. "The management are continuing to use this as a tool to erode that agreement," he said.
In a statement, the service said the latest rejections by prison officers confirms that they do not support the introduction of the new security measures "which it should be remembered are primarily designed to ensure the safety of staff and prisoners".
