Press releases

REF: PR/06/05

DATE: 22nd March 2005

To: ALL POLITICAL
ALL INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENTS

PRESS RELEASE
NO EMBARGO

Labour Government Restores Trades Union Rights

The POA welcomes the Governments announcement that they have finally completed the long process to disapply Section 127 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

This Section of the Act effectively striped away trade union rights for POA members by criminalising our members within the Prison Service if they take industrial action, which would be legal for any other working in the United Kingdom.

Colin Moses, National Chair of the POA said of the announcement:

"It has taken over eleven years of campaigning to have this unjust and unfair Tory legislation removed in England, Wales and Scotland. We welcome the announcement today, which is long overdue following numerous broken promises from previous Home Secretary’s to remove it from the statute books, it is a step in the right direction for the New Labour Government to fulfil the commitments they made to the POA prior to coming to power."

He went on to say;

"For our members working for the Northern Ireland Prison Service and those working for private prison companies, who continue to be denied their full trade union rights, the campaign goes on."

The POA calls on the Labour Government to live up to its pledge in full and repeal this invidious piece on legislation for all our members throughout the United Kingdom.

For further information contact:
POA Press Office: 020 8803 0255 Option 7

< Back