MoJ announces pay rise to boost prison staffing levels

Prison officers from 31 prisons in London and south-east England are set to receive pay rises of up to £5,000, in a bid to encourage more recruits to join the service.

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice has announced a new £12 million fund to boost the pay of prison staff, by up to £5,000, with new recruits receiving higher starting salaries.

According to the MoJ, new starters will receive up to £29,500 – an increase of £5,000 – while a prison officer in London could see earnings increase to £31,000.

The news comes after official figures have shown the number of front-line prison staff in England and Wales had fallen to 17,888 in 2016, compared to nearly 25,000 in 2010.

Commenting on the funding, Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: “Prison officers do a challenging and demanding job day in and day out. I want frontline staff to know that their work, experience and loyal service is valued. We also want to attract the best new talent into the service, ensuring we recruit and retain the leaders of the future.

“These hard-working, dedicated staff are key to delivering our ambitious reform agenda, and it is right that we offer them greater support as we move ever closer to transforming prisons into places of safety and reform.”

The Prison Officers Association (POA) welcomed the pay rise but warned that the government was ‘papering over the cracks’.

A statement from the POA said: “Whilst any additional pay for our members is welcome the latest policy decision direct from the Secretary of State sees another divisive decision on pay, which will enrage many who are left unaffected by this latest announcement.

“The government, has once again failed to consult with the POA properly on matters that affect our membership and whilst the POA duly accepts that F&S grade staff are underpaid for doing the same job as their closed grade colleagues and similarly that those living in high cost areas are not being paid a sufficient local pay allowance that is applicable to all staff grades at that Establishment, this needs to be done through negotiation with this Trade Union.”

It added: “The Union would welcome dialogue with Ministers to re-open closed grade pay scales assimilating those on F&S contracts into those closed grades and increasing pay across the board to end this divisive and destructive pay policy once and for all.”