Letter: Battle of the Scrubs

Sir: I want to make it clear that there is no conflict whatsoever between the Prison Officers' Association and the Governor of Wormwood Scrubs regarding the action plan's aims.

The governor has agreed that POA members at Wormwood Scrubs will not be bullied or harassed by senior grades within the establishment and indeed has confirmed to me that all negotiations will take place under normal industrial procedures.

The POA both locally and nationally are committed to improving conditions at Wormwood Scrubs for both staff and inmates. We must not lose sight of the fact that the Ramsbotham report lays blame for the parlous state of the prison on the shoulders of the prisons board and the previous Director General and his assistants.

We hope that the POA's legitimate concerns regarding safe manning levels and health and safety will not be seen as behaving in a negative manner.

DUNCAN KEYS

Branch Secretary, Prison Officers' Association

HMP Wormwood Scrubs