Calls have been made to ensure the safety of officers at a Portland prison after a ban on strikes.

A permanent ban has been granted by the High Court making it ‘unlawful’ for prison officers to protest or strike.

It comes after prison officers on HMP/YOI Portland refused to unlock cells in protest after being assaulted by inmates, as reported by the Dorset Echo in April.

The ban comes after the Prison Officers Association (POA) suggested in February that members should refuse to do certain voluntary tasks, including responding to outbreaks of disorder.

Steve Gillan, the general secretary of the Professional Trades Union for Prison, Correctional and Secure Psychiatric Workers, was hugely disappointed by the High Court’s decision, and said the union will continue to support officers at HMP/YOI Portland despite the permanent injunction.

He said: “We have a duty to ensure that staff at prisons like Portland Prison go to work and are safe at work. We will continue to support our members with health and safety legislation and will expose the hierarchy of the prison service and government on their continued failures.”

Mr Gillan added: “The health and safety of our members, and those we look after, is vitally important and the prison service and government cannot hide behind the courts forever. 

“I suppose one day the prison service and government will be dragged kicking and screaming into a modern era of employee relations rather than hiding behind restrictive anti-union laws as section127 of the Criminal Justice Public Act 1994.”

The information sent to POA members included plans to withdraw suicide prevention, first aid, control and restraint, and hostage negotiation.

John Hendy QC, for the POA, argued that each of the activities referred to were voluntary in nature and there was no evidence that any of the 35,000 members had been asked to disobey any lawful instruction.

Daniel Stilitz QC, representing the government, argued that any action that involves stopping prison officers providing a service in unlawful.

He added: “The secretary of state is concerned that, unless the position is determined definitively by the court, there will be renewed calls for unlawful industrial action in the future.”

Granting the injunction, Mr Justice Jay said the wording of the POA’s memo to members was ‘likely to generate a risk to the safety of prisoners and staff’.

He added: “The POA has lost not just on the facts [...] but also on the important point of principle.”