Broome Prison at ‘critical’ staffing levels amid Union safety concerns

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has issued a stark safety warning over critical staffing levels at Broome Regional Prison after prison officers were ordered to come in on their rostered days off. WAPOU secretary Andy Smith said the staffing levels at Broome Regional Prison were already at critical levels before already exhausted prison officers were called back in to work, but the latest spout had added to pressures. “We know that Broome Prison is already drastically understaffed. Now the Commissioner for Corrective Services and the Superintendent are ordering prison officers to come in on their days off,” Mr Smith said. “Essentially, they don’t have enough staff to safely run the prison this weekend. “This is completely unacceptable. Every jail in the State is understaffed and officers are not being provided with a safe work environment. Mr Smith said the pressure being faced by prison officers was a case of “prioritising saving money above prison officers’ safety. “There are massive health and safety risks in not allowing prison officers to rest. Ordering them to come in for yet another 12-hour shift with no notice and no compensation is just adding insult to possible injury. “If the government continues to disregard the risk prison officers face, we are only going to see more serious incidents in our prisons. “We tip our hats to the bravery of prison officers who face a variety of risks every day in difficult or volatile conditions.” It comes after, on Wednesday, scores of Broome public sector workers have walked off the job in protest of the State Government’s wages policy — joining thousands around WA in the simultaneous protest. Starting at Broome Police Station, United Workers Union members from ports, transport, health, schools, corrections, police and emergency services held the rally to fight for a pay rise “which reflects their hard work” and is in-line with the cost of living. The State Government’s latest iteration of the wages policy has capped wages at 3 percent-a-year with a one-off $2500 sign-on bonus. Speaking at the Broome protest, West Kimberley Regional Prison senior officer Paul Morris said staff had been left disheartened by the State Government’s pay policy. “We’re short staffed, we’re underpaid and we’re expected to do the job of several people,” he said. “The rise isn’t even half the rate of inflation — it’s an insult to be honest.” The Broome rally coincided with rallies in Albany, Bunbury, Karratha, Geraldton and Northam, a move Mr Morris said should be received as a clear message by Ministers. “It’s unity. It’s us — all around the State — saying ‘enough is enough, we need to be treated better’,” he said. “Our prisons Minister, Bill Johnson, recently came up to Derby, but he didn’t even pop into the prison to greet us. “You come all the way up from Perth but you can’t even come in to see the people you’re meant to represent. It just stinks of not caring to be honest.”