Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
PRISON OFFICERS HELD a one-hour work stoppage this afternoon outside Cloverhill prison in Dublin, in protest against what they regard as staff shortages and dangerous working conditions.
Another one-hour picket is due to take place at 2pm tomorrow, with similar actions set for next week at Mountjoy prison.
In a statement this afternoon, Jim Mitchell, Deputy General Secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), blamed management for the failure to resolve the ongoing dispute.
We are bitterly disappointed that talks at the Labour Relations Commission on Tuesday last, which could have resolved this industrial action at Cloverhill, were unnecessarily delayed.
Today’s industrial action has gone ahead primarily because of a lack of staff on the landings in Cloverhill, and the knock-on safety issues which have developed.
Prison offers at Cloverhill are understandably concerned about the types of prisoners being housed there and the increased risk associated with this.
Responding to the actions, the Irish Prison Service said they too were “extremely disappointed” with the picket, accusing the POA of breaching the Haddington Road Agreement by taking industrial action.
The POA have chosen to proceed with this industrial action despite the fact that they have had access to the dispute resolution mechanisms in place under the Haddington Road Agreement.
Moreover, it is occurring after extensive engagements which have taken place this week at the Labour Relations Commission which resulted in the acceptance by both parties of a conciliation agreement drafted by the Commission late yesterday evening.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Shrinking animals ,oh my lord people will believe anything ………. it is October not the 1st of April isn’t it.
Anthony, it is a well documented fact that atmospheric and environmental changes are inextricable linked to the size of animal. If we take a large section of earth’s history, the age of dinosaurs, this period was linked with very high oxygen levels. Much more so than exists today. The presence of oxygen enabled many of the earth’s animals to grow to extraordinary sizes. This size of animal is simply not possible in today’s climate because there is simply not enough oxygen to sustain the size. The only real exception is the Blue Whale. Environmental factors also influence size. Take the African elephant as an example. A group of these were stranded on islands in the Mediterranean at the end of the last Ice Age. When these islands became separated from the African continent it lead to a process whereby the elephants became miniature. These mini elephants, while now extinct, are well documented by the Romans and the Greeks. Look at Flores Man in Indonesia, a species of human believed to be the source of many hobbit, dwarf, etc.myths of Asia. Isolation on an island, combined with other environmental factors stunted its growth. The same can be seen with the Twa people of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda who still exist today. We know many factors stunt growth, including carbon monoxide (found in cigarettes), so how is it a step too far to believe that our pumping of noxious and toxic chemicals into the atmosphere is not also contributing to shrinking animals? After all, it is also well documented that we have changed our climate, our environment. Heck, we’ve even caused seas such as the Aral Sea (formerly 68,000 km2) to all but vanish. How do you think the animals in that area are surviving? In cases such as this, it’s the smallest animals, those that need less to survive, that will be successful procreators. This inevitably leads to shrinking animals.
Food for thought Brian , at this stage i am a cynic about anything i read in the media but you have made me think .
Very interesting article Brian ,have just seen it today and must say NOTHING would surprise me in this day and age
have your say