The Prison Service is to proceed with plans to wind down the operation of two prisons tomorrow after talks with prison officers aimed at cutting their annual €60 million overtime bill failed to achieve a breakthrough.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice, which received Government approval for the contingency plan last month, said it would be rolled out with effect from tomorrow as the talks - facilitated yesterday by the Labour Relations Commission - remained at "an impasse".
As well as closing Fort Mitchell Prison on Spike Island, Cork, and the Curragh Place of Detention, Kildare, the Prison Service is to seek tenders from contractors to provide an escort service currently supplied by prison officers.
Mr John Clinton, general secretary of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said the decision to proceed with the plan was "not helpful" in the context of ongoing talks, which have been adjourned until January 12th.
Asked whether it increased the likelihood of industrial action, Mr Clinton replied: "We would not rule anything in or out."
The Department spokeswoman said Prison Service management had reported that while "modest progress" had been made on some issues, there were still "extreme difficulties on the financial side".
Officials believed that financial proposals presented by the POA were in clear breach of the national pay agreement, she said.
Under management's offer, overtime earnings would be replaced by an annual payment of, in some cases, more than €10,000 with a liability to work about seven hours extra per week if called upon to do so. Each officer would also receive a lump-sum of some €12,000.
Prison officers fear, however, they will be on-call for an excessive number of hours, and that they will lose significant earnings.
Announcing details of the contingency plan last month, the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said overtime costs in the prison service were "cannibalising funds" allocated for major building and refurbishment programmes in prisons.
Other contingency arrangements include the strict capping of staffing levels and overtime from January 1st at a level which would not exceed the annual expenditure provided in the 2004 Estimates, and the introduction of a new entry grade for the recruitment of prison officers.
Mr McDowell has warned that Army and Garda personnel may be used to staff prisons in the event of serious industrial action.
