Jail staff paid ‘blood money’ to leave jobs
UNION FEARS PRISON WILL BE WITHOUT EXPERIENCED OFFICERS
PRISON officers at HMP Northumberland are so eager to leave, they’ve asked bosses for a route out, we can reveal.
Sodexo, the private firm which runs the troubled jail, has offered staff generous severance packages of up to £60,000 to leave.
The offer is only open to staff who previously worked for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) when the prison was in public hands.
Those staff were kept on terms and conditions and pay more generous than those who have started to work at the prison since it was taken over three years ago, unions claim.
Terry Fullerton, the North East representative for the Prison Officers Association, said losing experienced staff could plunge the troubled prison into further chaos.
“This is blood money,” he said. “The problems will only get worse if experienced staff leave, it is unacceptable.”
“Lives could be at risk, prisons need experienced staff who know what they’re doing.
“I am not surprised so many are keen to leave, but the situation will only get worse for those who stay.”
Up to 50 of the more experienced members of staff are being offered the severance packages, we have learned. And it is believed that French-owned Sodexo will replace the staff with new recruits.
HMP Northumberland’s woes have been well documented in recent months, and it has been alleged that prisoners themselves are effectively in control of the jail.
A BBC Panorama investigation revealed smuggling and so-called legal highs were rife in the category C prison, and that officers were often left in fear of inmates.
An undercover reporter discovered a hole in the fence and faulty alarms at the prison, which houses up to 1,348 males.
The jail was privatised in 2013, when the Government was aiming to cut £500m from the prisons budget.
To win the contract, Sodexo pledged to save the taxpayer £130m over 15 years. Some 200, including 96 prison officer posts, were cut.
At the time of the deal, the Prison Officers Association warned it could result in “escapes and riots” and described it as a “tinderbox jail”.
A spokesperson for Sodexo confirmed the firm was offering severance packages after requests from staff.
They said: “Over the course of the past few months we have had requests from some staff to provide financial support for them to leave to pursue other ventures as they wish.
“While we maintain committed to retaining our talent and operational stability is of the utmost importance, we also appreciate that some colleagues may wish to embark on a new phase in their working lives and as such we have opened up a voluntary severance scheme for those who may wish to apply.
“The scheme will be limited in number and we will be replacing those who leave.”