Fifty prison officers have been given a boost of confidence in their jobs as a result of securing appointments and promotions.
Appointments have been a contentious issue for a number of them for some time at Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds.
Superintendent of Prisons, Lieutenant Colonel John Nurse said the last set of permanent appointments for Prison Officer 1 (PO1) were made about eight years ago when the prison service first moved to the St Philip jail.
“This one is significant,” he said, while adding that about 13 PO1 remained to be appointed.
Nurse said the appointments meant that the officers had job security, but it would not impact on the workload or the duties because they had officers in place carrying out the work needed.
“We had persons acting as PO1 so we actually had dedicated men and women performing the duties. They were paid for that purpose but you know people would prefer that they are actually confirmed in a position.”
He said things at the prison were “great”.
“If you look around at my staff you get that impression. Generally speaking, conditions here are good. We have been making significant strides, not only in what we are doing in terms of rehabilitation, but what we have been doing for staff. We have been working behind the scenes; there was absolutely no need for any grandstanding and making all types of public statements.”
Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite sought to allay the fears of the officers after the Prison Officers’ Association held a press conference back in June to air their grievances. Warders could not legally speak out on issues, so they hired attorneys Gregory Nicholls and Janice Browne to speak on their behalf.
Brathwaite at that time said all issues with his office regarding promotions and appointments were being addressed. (LK)