Minister welcomes POA ballot result
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. Michael McDowell T.D., today welcomed the acceptance of the Revised Proposal for Organisational Change by prison staff which was negotiated between the Prison Officersâ?T Association and the Irish Prison Service. He said that this result if followed up by a true commitment to delivery by both management and front line workers could pave the way for a new era for the Irish Prison Service.
The Minister said that the revised working arrangements under the proposal for organisational change stand to benefit both management and staff, and would also bring an end to the corrosive overtime culture in the Prison Service. The proposal which was endorsed by the National Executive of the POA will guarantee staff an attractive, predictable and stable remuneration package into the future. Arrangements for implementation of the agreement are well in hand and will proceed immediately.
The Minister also said, "These new working arrangements will put the Prison Service into a position to deliver positive and rehabilitative prisoner regimes in a more cost effective manner. Like other Government Departments and Agencies, the Prison Service will be assessed on the efficiency and effectiveness of the services it delivers".
Finally, the Minister paid tribute to the hard work done by both sides at the negotiations and acknowledged the sterling contributions to the process made by the staff of the Labour Relations Commission and the Civil Service Arbitration Board in bringing this long standing dispute to a resolution.
17 August 2005 |
