Officials from the Irish Prison Service yesterday briefed senior Garda and the Army officers at a crisis summit in Dublin. They discussed contingency plans in the event of prison officers going on strike over pay and conditions.
The meeting, held at Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park, took place less than 24 hours after the Prison Officers' Association (POA) revealed its 3,200 members had rejected by two to one a pay deal.
This deal would have secured a basic salary range of between €48,000 and €70,000 - depending on seniority - in exchange for agreeing to work seven hours' overtime per week.
The Government had hoped to save €25 million per annum on overtime under the deal.
In a break with protocol, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell yesterday informed the POA he would not be attending its annual conference in Castlebar, Co Mayo, in a fortnight's time.
The director general of the prison service, Brian Purcell, has also decided not to attend.
It is understood both men see no value in attending the conference.
However, Mr McDowell yesterday agreed with POA officials to meet them early next week.
Under the current strike action contingency plans, which were drawn up over a year ago when negotiations between the prison service and prison officers became protracted, gardaí would be sent into the prisons to deal face to face with inmates.
Army personnel would man gates and other static posts within the system.
They would also be used to provide any logistical back-up needed. However, they will have no role in dealing with inmates.
Prison service officials yesterday told Garda and Army officers that they do not expect any decision by the prison officers on possible industrial action until the officers hold their annual conference.
Sources within the POA have refused to be drawn, even privately, on the possibility of a strike.
However, one well-placed Government source said the Department of Justice did not expect a simple ballot on strike action at the conference.
Instead, officials expect delegates to vote on a number of options, any one of which would come into action if talks on the pay issue deteriorated further in coming weeks.
However, Mr McDowell has already told The Irish Times that the offer made to the prison officers was more generous than he would have liked.
He said the detail had been agreed at the Labour Relations Commission and had then gone to arbitration, and he "can't go back on that".
He believes he has the public's backing on tackling the prison system's overtime bill.
This had reached €60 million before two prisons - Spike Island in Co Cork and the Curragh Place of Detention, Co Kildare - were mothballed last year to reduce costs.
The Minister will meet prison governors and senior prison service officials at the Department of Justice on Saturday.
He will use the opportunity to emphasise the importance of new pay and overtime monthly budgets which he will introduce to each prison from May 2nd.
The overtime budget has already been cut to €48 million this year, from €60 million last year. Mr McDowell has targeted further savings for next year of between €10 million and €15 million.
Meanwhile the prison service is preparing to place tender notices in the European Journal and international media in coming weeks requesting tenders for the provision of a private escort system for the prison service.
Escorts accounted for around 30 per cent of prison overtime expenditure in 2003, and are to be privatised as part of Mr McDowell's bid to reduce expenditure.
The prison service has already acquired around 20 new cellular vehicles which have a number of secure cells.
All inmates being escorted are locked into their own cell, and can be taken from a vehicle without any need for other inmates to be unlocked.
