Kalgoorlie prison guards strike amid 'staff shortage crisis'
More than 50 prison guards walked off the job in Kalgoorlie on Thursday morning as tensions over staffing shortages reached boiling point.
The WA Prison Officers' Union claimed the 367-capacity Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison, which opened in 2016, had 40 empty beds due to a lack of staff.
WAPOU secretary Andy Smith said the issue could worsen, with more than 90 prison officers waiting to be transferred back to Perth and no officers looking to transfer to Kalgoorlie.
"Prison officers at EGRP who have accepted transfers out are being told they will have to wait indefinitely, which is unacceptable to them and their families," he said.
“The department is about to commence training 18 new prison officers who are scheduled to commence at EGRP at the end of April.
“This is well short of the 25 to 30 vacancies that will exist at that time following scheduled transfers."
Thursday's strike action, which resulted in staff being off the job for about four hours, was the first industrial action taken by the WAPOU in five years.
Mr Smith said the Department of Justice's initiatives were not solving the staffing problem and could see the closure of more units in the jail.
"The union commends the dedication and tremendous work of prison officers at the Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison who are faced with these challenging conditions and continue to remain professional," he said.
“However, the goodwill and additional hours being worked by these officers through the staffing crisis cannot be relied upon indefinitely,”
The strike comes as after a report into the state’s worst prison break at Greenough revealed WA’s prison system was dangerously understaffed, leading to prisoners becoming angry at the additional time they were being locked down in their cells.
Another CCC report, released in November highlighted a disturbing failure to respond to recommendations to improve the management of prisons and prisoners in WA.
The Department of Justice has been contacted for comment.