The union claims crippling staff shortages at an Alice Springs prison are to blame for a prisoner escape early this morning.
The 30-year-old man fled on foot from a low-security compound at Alice Springs Correctional Centre at about 2:30am.
NT Correctional Services confirmed the prisoner escaped by jumping over a fence near cottages where low remand prisoners were detained.
The man was arrested by Northern Territory police mid-morning, 20 kilometres south of the prison on the Stuart Highway.
The United Workers Union (UWU), which represented correctional staff, claimed the escape was only possible because the low-security section was not staffed overnight due to severe workforce shortages.
UWU NT secretary Erina Early said two officers would normally be rostered on to monitor the area.
"Our members have had enough," she said.
"You can't continue to provide the safety of officers, of prisoners and the community, when you're constantly short-staffed.
"And this is more than short-staffing. This is serious neglect."
Ms Early said only six officers were on duty last night — less than half the minimum night shift requirement of 13 staff.
As at January 4, there were 647 inmates at the Alice Springs prison, just shy of its operational capacity of 650.
Staff shortages continue to bite
The union said a minimum of about 40 officers were required during day shifts, but that had dropped as low as 13.
Additional officers were deployed to the centre from Darwin late last year, amid fears it would have to stop visitations and programs for prisoners due to critical understaffing.
A recent UWU report revealed the workforce shortfall meant 95 per cent of Alice Springs correctional officers surveyed felt "unsafe" at work.
It came as the NT's overflowing prison population reached a new record in November last year, with 2,000 inmates.
Promises to improve conditions
NT Correctional Services said it was "unable to comment on operational matters for security reasons".
But it said it was working to address growing prisoner numbers and operational demands through a range of options, including recruitment.
"We acknowledge there is a staff shortage in custodial operations and we are working hard to recruit more officers to meet attrition rates and rising demand pressures," a spokesperson said.
Ms Early acknowledged the NT government was discussing measures to improve conditions for both workers and inmates at the beleaguered prison.
These included installing air conditioning at the prison to lower the risk of riots during summer, budgeting for additional staffing, and incentivising work at the prison to attract and retain more staff.
But she said they needed to act "sooner than later".
"[Officers] are fed up because every day is the same argument, the same scenarios," Ms Early said.
"Everyone's doing the talk at the moment, but no one's seen any action."
