1 / 12

Transforming prisons into correctional centres - places of new beginnings

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES. Management of Correctional Centres and Recent Industrial Action by POPCRU. Transforming prisons into correctional centres - places of new beginnings. Purpose of the presentation. Provide brief background to envisaged change

sheila-odom
Download Presentation

Transforming prisons into correctional centres - places of new beginnings

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES Management of Correctional Centres and Recent Industrial Action by POPCRU Transforming prisons into correctional centres - places of new beginnings

  2. Purpose of the presentation • Provide brief background to envisaged change • from 5 to a 7 day week establishment • Present advantages of proposed system • Discuss challenges associated with movement • to 7 day week establishment • Inform the Committee about the recent illegal • industrial action by members of POPCRU Department of Correctional Services

  3. Background to Departmental Personnel Establishment • The Department started to operate its current 5 day week • establishment from 1978 • Implementation of the system required that weekends and • public holidays should be provided for differently given • limited services that were rendered on those days • A weekend establishment was introduced comprising of • an average of 46% of the week day establishment • The current system provides for one day shift of 8 hours • and two night shifts of 8 hours Department of Correctional Services

  4. Background to Departmental Personnel Establishment • The ultimate goal of BCEA is to establish a 40 hour week • Weekends and public holidays should be compensated • through overtime payment • BCEA requires that employees should not work more than • 9 hours per day excluding overtime of not more than 10 • hours per week • The current system where employees work alternate • weekends increased overtime to 16 hours per week • Section 8 (5) (b) of the Correctional Services Act requires • that meal intervals should not be less than 4 hours and not • more than 14 hours between the last and first meals Department of Correctional Services

  5. Background to Departmental Personnel Establishment • Insufficient time for development and rehabilitation • programmes in line with the white paper • Insufficient time to receive visits from friends, relatives, • legal representatives, professionals and investigators • Period of being locked up for up to 16 hours per day in • overcrowded conditions conflicts with philosophy of • improved humane treatment of offenders Department of Correctional Services

  6. Advantages of 7 day establishment • 2 day shifts and two night shifts • 13 hours unlocked and 11 hours locked • Sufficient meal breaks [Sec. 8 (5)] • More time for development programmes • Staff work 12 days, 84 hours • Increase possibilities for flexi time work Department of Correctional Services

  7. Over the past three years continuous overspending • Management decision to manage within budgetary • allocation and to hold managers accountable • At a meeting held with POPCRU in Feb 2004 it was • indicated that DCS will soon submit a proposal on the 7 Day • establishment and all unions were encouraged to submit • proposals • POPCRU however declared a dispute at the DBC and the • matter was referred to arbitration • Meanwhile DCS approached Treasury with the proposal • and there is principled agreement pending the details of • the proposal Department of Correctional Services Recent Developments

  8. Illegal Industrial Action and the Consequences • The industrial action was rather impromptu and • took place while awaiting results of arbitration • The action was initiated firstly in Barberton and Nelspruit • on the 25 and 26 June • On response of the Minister during NCOP Budget Speech • POPCRU organised Extended Exec Committee • The action was limited to some areas in Mpumalanga, • Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KZN • During this time POPCRU’s message changed from • demanding overtime to concerns on security Department of Correctional Services

  9. In Barberton and Nelspruit properties were damaged, • a senior officials was held hostage and inmates instigated • to damage property • Officials locked gates and obstructed movement in and out • the prisons • In some centres officials stayed away whilst others came to • the centres and picketed • Department interdicted POPCRU and an agreement • was signed in attempt to resolve the action Department of Correctional Services Form of Action and Consequences

  10. 151 official were summarily dismissed in Gauteng and • Mpumalanga • More than 1000 official were issued with contemplated • suspension letters and investigations are being conducted • In all cases of dismissals officials appealed and actions • are underway to proceed with hearings • POPCRU submitted letters disputing dismissals and arguing • against further action by the department Department of Correctional Services Consequences

  11. The Minister and Senior Management met with POPCRU • and decided to establish Joint Technical Team to attend to • the issues covered in the Agreement • The JTT has met twice and proposed terms for future • actions and relationship • In addition POPCRU raised concerns about the workings of • the DBC, MEDCOR and insignia • DCS convened a meeting of all Unions for 12 August 2004 • to discuss implementation of the 7 Day establishment • JTT agreed on a special DBC to deal with urgent matters Department of Correctional Services Current Developments

  12. Thank you Department of Correctional Services

More Related