We have a decision in from the employment court. I can remember being told even if you win what can the judge do you still have to lock up the bad guys. The ruling agrees with the department position that the muster only counts at lock up but it then agrees with our position by saying that it could be any lock up during the day. The Judge wants both parties to start talking again.

Where to from here?
I believe that the department will bring in as many inmates as they can during the day to different institutions across the country by using court cells then bringing them into the prison. CANZ believe this to be a serious Health and Safety risk. We have taken this stance since the beginning. The department are trying to make it about money.

PPS are offering money to our members at Pary, Mt Eden and Waikeria. Our members have been very staunch at these prisons and are following the national resolution past earlier this year. Even though staff and comrades from across the country have been helping the dept hide the problem by coming up to this region and doing the OT in the courts, this must stop.

The key point for me is that by bunking these 3 prisons we are just overloading some of the most overloaded and overworked prison staff in the country. The other region that is stretched to breaking point it Wellington. Like the other Auckland prisons they are very short staffed doing excessive over time and are working in courts as well.

Just so you know the most staff assaults across the country happen at 3 prisons, Mt Eden, Rimutaka and Waikeria. All 3 prisons are short staffed and all prisons are doing court cells as well.

What we require from our members now that we have taken the legal avenues is for you to start acting like a union. We need you to follow your contract and stop doing that ‘bit extra’ that we all do. This means we have to support each other across the country. Don’t work in someones else’s back yard.

Beven Hanlon
CANZ National Officer