Petition Restore Full Trade Union Rights to the Prison Officers' Association

The Prison Officers' Association has been denied full trade union rights for a number of years now. The International Labour Organisation criticised the previous government for failing to put in place alternative mechanisms for pay bargaining and matters of dispute. The POA is currently the only trade union that does not have full trade union rights and is discriminated against still in 2011. Section 127 of the Criminal Justice Act criminalises POA members if they take industrial action, yet the members of the 'Independant' Pay Review Body are chosen by the Justice Minister who also holds the power of veto over the Pay Review Body reccomendations. There have been no cost of living pay rises since 2007 for the majority of unified grades in the Prison Service. We demand that the Government restores full trade union rights to the POA.