Trade Unions debated and unanimously supported calls to
improve prison safety, reduce violence and stop the continued
privatisation of the prison estate at the
150th TUC Congress in
Manchester.
The unprecedented levels of violence, use of drugs (NPS)
and the failure of the Government and Employer to address these
issues was the subject of some emotional debates.
The rise in violence against staff in prisons was laid
firmly at the feet of Government and HMPPS. Delegates demanded
safe workplaces, condemned Ministers and officials for their
drive to save money during the last eight years of austerity with
little thought to the consequences of their actions.
The growth and failure of privatisation in Prisons,
Healthcare, Public Services, Energy and the Royal Mail were all
discussed. The real hidden cost to the tax payer must be
unearthed as privateers line the pockets of shareholders.
Congress supported the call for the TUC General Council to
campaign for an Independent Inquiry into privatisation to stop
the race to the bottom.
Leaders of the POA said, we welcome the decision of
Congress today. The POA has been campaigning against
privatisation highlighting these problems since 1992, the public
deserve answers.
We consistently raise the problems in our prisons as the
unprecedented levels of violence continue to rise. The volume of
drugs (NPS) within prisons is at epidemic levels and as a result
debt and violence amongst the prison population is out of
control.
It was not all doom and gloom for the government as
delegates welcomed the introduction of legislation to protect the
protector.
