THERE is growing tension at Her Majesty's Prisons Dodds as some prison officers feel slighted by the just completed promotions process.

The prison officers are charging that several of them who have been in the service for more than 20 years were overlooked for appointments and promotions while younger officers, some doing as few as two years, are now their supervisors.

Last Monday 49 prison officers were promoted to various ranks. These included five acting chief officers, five orderlies, seven instructors and 32 sergeants.

Reports indicate that out of the sergeants 20 were appointed to the service last December.

Call for meeting

A spokesman told the SUNDAY SUN that prison officers wanted to have an urgent meeting with the Attorney-General.

"The prison officers are not happy and we are begging the Government to step in urgently. The situation up here is very uneasy. It seems that experience does not count anymore, and these things are not right," he said.

Another officer who has over 15 years' experience said some of the overlooked prison officers were seeking legal advice, while some had been to the Ombudsman.

He said they were also expected to have a meeting with the National Union of Public Workers.

"We cannot go to the Prison Officers' Association because all of them have been promoted. We are going to disband the association because they are not helping us," he said.

However, when contacted, Superintendent of Prisons John Nurse said the promotions process was "very transparent".

Promotions board

"There is a promotions board which comprises a representative from the Prison, a representative from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Personnel Administrative Division. Recommendations are made by the promotions board based on the CV submitted, the application and their [applicant's] performance. One has to be qualified for a post and also has to impress," he said.

He said that in order to be promoted based on years in the service, special representation had to be made and the person would still have to indicate that they would be undertaking the necessary qualifications.

"The prison officers demonstrated quite clearly what they are capable of last year and even before that. These promotions are not the first. They commenced in 2005 and a similar amount of noise was kept. Since 2005 and since the last set of promotions, what action have the aggrieved parties made to get themselves educationally qualified?

"They have not participated in any prison service programmes," he said.

He reiterated that the promotion process was legal and said if the prison officers took any form of industrial action, it would be unwarranted. (MB)