Prison officers at Mountjoy jail are to ballot on industrial action after they refused to turn to work for several hours today in a dispute over the return of a prisoner from Castlerea.
The Irish Prisons Service said the staff failed to return as scheduled at 2pm following a lunchtime meeting of the local branch of the Prison Officers’ Association
The staff were addressed asked by management to return to work but they remained outside the prison, the prison service said.
“The prisoner in question had been transferred to Castlerea Prison on punishment on December 27th, 2009 following an incident on the B Division in Mountjoy,” a statement said.
It said that on completion of this period of punishment, the prisoner remained in Castlerea Prison in the challenging behaviour unit “for his own protection”.
He had no disciplinary incidents recorded against him while at Castlerea.
The High Court found earlier this month that the prisoner in question, Leroy Dumbrell (24), had been held in unlawful solitary confinement at Castlerea Prison for more than five months.
Mr Justice John Hedigan directed that Dumbrell be detained in future in accordance with prison rules.
On foot of that decision, the prison service decided to transfer Dumbrell to the Separation Unit in Mountjoy.
"This transfer took place this morning,” the service said.
National officers with the prison officers’ union raised the matter with officials of the prison service this morning.
They requested that the prisoner be placed “under a very restricted regime”.
“The POA were informed that the regime and location of the prisoner was an operational matter to be determined by the local governor and that the IPS had full confidence that the governor would take all necessary security and operational needs into account in coming to a decision in relation to same,” the prison service said.
“Discussions also took place on this matter both yesterday and this morning between the local POA branch and prison management.”
While the prison officers remained outside the building, it was staffed by “dinner guards”, a reduced staffing level which usually covers periods of prisoner lockup.
The prisoners remained “locked down” and visits scheduled to take place this afternoon were rescheduled.
“The Irish Prison Service condemns this wildcat industrial action which is in total contravention of all industrial relations practices and procedures,” the statement said.
Shortly before 6pm, the prison service said staff had re-entered the prison following talks with the governor.
It said the prisoner in question will be accommodated in the Separation Unit as planned.
The Prison Officers Association confirmed the dispute at Mountjoy Prison had been "set aside for the present". It said officers at the prison will ballot on industrial action in the coming days.