DARTMOOR prison was ?closed down completely? by the strike by prison officers last Wednesday, according to a Prison Officers? Association representative. The strike, on August 29, started at 7am and lasted for 12 hours, despite an injunction taken out at 1.20pm to stop the action. The strike was over pay grievances and followed a ballot of members of the Prison Officers? Association which gave 85% approval for action to be taken. The union had bitterly attacked the Government for deciding to pay a recommended 2.5% pay rise in two stages, reducing the value of the award to 1.9%. Don Wood, Dartmoor Prison?s representative on the POA executive, said the prison had been ?closed down completely?. ?Management gave meals to the prisoners,? he said. Mr Wood said that despite Justice Secretary Jack Straw?s claim that talks had already been arranged, this had not been the case. But talks had now taken place between Mr Straw and the POA and further talks were planned. ?If he doesn?t come up with the bacon we will be back where we were before,? Mr Wood said. He said the strike had been ?worthwhile? and there had been no reaction from ?the clientele? at the prison. ?They just came out the next morning as if nothing had happened,? he said. Mr Wood said the injunction to stop the action had been ignored. ?It was taken out at 1.20pm and the strike was still active at 6pm,? he said. The Government and prison service officials said they had been taken completely by complete surprise, with the POA announcing the action less than an hour before it started, but Mr Wood said the result of the ballot was known to them.
