PRISON OFFICER DISCIPLINARIES COST £1MILLION
ONE OFFICER ON GARDENING LEAVE FOR FIVE YEARS Process was bungled, claims whistleblower
A PRISON officer who was accused of sexual impropriety is still off work on full pay after five years due to what was claimed to be a bungled disciplinary process.
The case of the line manager at the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is one of several which have dragged on for years, with the absences and legal bills costing taxpayers more than £1million. Whistleblowers have pointed to similar cases where staff have sat at home on full pay while rounds of disciplinary hearings and appeals get dragged out. The revelations come as staff absence has been identified as a major problem for the SPS, particularly in the Covid era. A whistleblower’s email to the Record says: “Over five years ago, a first-line manager was suspended after (alleged) inappropriate sexual behaviour and advances towards female staff. Yet, for years no decision was made by the Governor.”
The source said wages for that employee would have amounted to £200,000 but overtime costs of covering their absence would have hugely increased that figure.
They allege that proceedings against the accused officer were badly bungled, opening the door to a return to work or litigation.
The source says: “After five years off on full pay, the door is left open for ******* to return or sue the SPS for God knows how many hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
The Record has also been sent details of another first-line manager who has been fighting claims of misconduct for more than four years – again, on full pay.
Another manager went back to work four years after being suspended over an alleged assault in a pub, which did not result in a conviction. One officer was fired but won the job back on appeal and got 18 months’ back pay.
A civilian employee who was accused of bullying remains on gardening leave on a salary of about £50,000. The SPS’s annual report for 2019-2020 by chief executive Teresa Medhurst makes plain that staff absence is a real concern.
The report notes: “Levels of staff sick absence have remained worryingly high. To maximise attendance, an SPS Attendance Management Policy was developed. It was due to launch in early April 2020, however as a result of the response to Covid, the decision was made to delay it.”
The report details initiatives to reduce absenteeism, adding: “This includes continued roll-out of Mentally Healthy Workplace training for all managers. We are continuing to support staff who are absent and there is evidence this is having a positive impact with a reduction of employees on long-term sick leave.”
The SPS said several long-term absences had rolled up, due to disciplinary procedures and appeals, adding: “We cannot discuss any individual situations.”