Prison staff to strike in Tasmania
Frustrated prison staff in Tasmania are set to walk off the job in their push for better pay and working conditions.
About 80 staff are expected to hold a stop-work meeting outside Hobart's Risdon Prison on Thursday afternoon.
The United Workers Union says its members have rejected the Liberal state government's offer of a six per cent pay rise over three years and claims negotiations have not progressed since June.
Union spokesperson Jannette Armstrong said lockdowns at Risdon Prison are becoming more frequent, which places increasing pressure on an already understaffed system.
"Correctional officers walked off the job in June. Since then the government has not come back to the table with an adequate wages offer or a serious commitment to deal with understaffing and significant workplace health and safety issues," she said in a statement.
Correctional Supervisor Philip Pregnell said staff are burning out at "extraordinary rates" and many are reaching their breaking point.
The union has flagged ongoing industrial action which they say could delay prisoner transfers and the timing of court arrivals.
