UK prison staff hold strike

LONDON: Around 5,000 prison staff across England and Wales briefly walked off their jobs on Friday in protest over skyrocketing violence that sees 27 workers assaulted every day.

Prison conditions have deteriorated sharply since austerity measures introduced in recent years saw the system lose around 20 percent of its operational staff. Four urgent reports issued in the past year about safety in the 127 correctional facilities found potential for a "complete breakdown" in order and inmates effectively assuming control. The POA trade union -- an organisation that accounts for 90 percent of the estimated 30,000 prison workers in England and Wales -- called for staff to stage pickets outside prisons until further notice.

"There have been 31,025 prisoner on prisoner assaults since 2010 -- up 108 percent," POA National Executive Committee member Dave Cook said. "There are 27.4 assaults on staff in per day. That is up 197 percent," he said. "Twenty-seven prison workers will get assaulted today."

The trade union called off its action a matter of hours after Justice Minister Rory Stewart accused it of breaking the law and threated to seek court action to force staff back to work.