Job action at Burnside jail will continue unless safety improves: union
Posted Apr 21, 2010 05:42:19 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Security concerns by guards at the Burnside provincial jail in Dartmouth have resulted in several lockdowns since the end of March – two since Saturday.
The guards also exercised their right to refuse work because of safety issues over Easter, and their union boss says there will be more job action unless safety conditions improve.
Nova Scotia Government Employees Union president Joan Jessome says the guards are worried about improper equipment and a lack of manpower, and the ongoing concerns boil down to safety.
“There’s issues around equipment, the puncture-proof vests, staffing, and how many inmates are in the common room at any given time, and the ratio between inmates and staff,” she said.
She calls the jail a dangerous work environment and under the Occupational Health and Safety Act they do have the right to refuse to work.
“The officers are assaulted on a pretty regular basis, unfortunately,” she said. “I think they’re just at the point where they need their safety to be paramount in order to be able to do their job.”
Jessome says she’s encouraging the guards to continue their actions until their concerns are dealt with.
The province has ordered new safety equipment, but it hasn’t arrived yet.
