Dillon tells prison officers let good sense prevail

With additional reporting by Clint Chan Tack

Prison officers are being asked by National Security Minister Edmund Dillon to reject the message in a voice recording circulating on social media, which calls on them to take illegal industrial action.

In a statement issued yesterday evening, the ministry said Dillon “condemns and criticises, in the strongest possible manner, the content of the recording and the author of the recording for encouraging that the law be broken and for illegal activity to be carried out.”

According to the ministry, the message, “purporting to be a recording of Ceron Richards, President of the Prison Officers Association (POA)...is a call upon prison officers to take illegal industrial action by not reporting for duty, by not performing their job function and by taking action that may result in the prisons being unmanned.”

Dillon has conferred with the Attorney General’s office “and an opinion is being sought,” the ministry said, “from Senior Counsel as to what, if any, legal action can be taken, consequential on the making and circulation of this recording.”

Dillon also urged all law enforcement officers to remain vigilant in the execution of their duties, thanking dedicated and hard working officers for their service.

Contacted yesterday, Richards said he never encouraged prison officers to take illegal industrial action.

While he had heard about the recording, Richards told Newsday he could provide no details about it. He recalled that in 2013, prison officers walked off the job. Richards said then prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, appointed a committee to address the concerns raised by prison officers, particularly about their safety.

He said since then, officers have been “losing hope” because the State has not been treating with their concerns. Richards said the murders of prison officers within recent times has left officers, “now afraid to do their job.”

Against this background, Richards said it was not difficult for him or other people to predict there could be a repeat of what happened in 2013. However he maintained the Association is doing all it can to dissuade prison officers from taking any illegal industrial action.

Richards lamented that the Association has no answers to give prison officers about how their concerns will be addressed.

“We have been trying to keep it together,” Richards said.