Inmates at Australia's largest correctional centre in northern NSW have been forced into lockdown and unable to leave their cells as prison officers walked off the job over pay rates, safety concerns and working conditions.
Staff at Clarence Correctional Centre, near Grafton, have been locked in a pay dispute with the facility's multinational operator Serco for 18 months.
Serco had previously offered a pay rise from $26.88 per hour to $28 per hour, however the Community and Public Sector Union argued that increase was insufficient.
"Whether it's $26.88 an hour or it's the new offer of $28.00 an hour, they would be or still are the lowest paid correctional officers in the country, private or public sector," the union's Troy Wright said.
"It's completely unreasonable in our view that our members that are working in a maximum security men's and women's facility ... are the lowest paid in Australia.
"These highly trained officers come face-to-face with the most dangerous criminals in this state every day, yet they are paid like they work at Bunnings."
Mr Wright said union members were also concerned about labour shortages.
"That leads to concerns about safety in the centre and capacity for new staff to de-escalate problems when they arise," he said.
"What we are witnessing and what our members are reporting to us, is that the centre is constantly short-staffed. They do not have enough staff to fill their roster."
Serco declined an interview with the ABC, but in a statement said it was "disappointed" the union conducted industrial action and that it had invited the union to "re-commence negotiations".
"Since commencing negotiations we have increased pay rates by 8.5 per cent, even when this offer was declined by the union. This wage increase was made in good faith by Serco in support of our correctional officers," a Serco spokeperson said.
"Our latest offer includes up to an additional 4.2 per cent wage increase and a one-off payment of $1,500 to provide additional support through these challenging economic times."
The facility, which opened in July 2020 with just 90 prisoners, is the largest in Australia, currently housing about 1,000 inmates with a maximum capacity of 1,700.
Up to 100 staff and their families joined the action at South Grafton near to the facility.
"I do believe the job that we do does deserve more (pay)," Clarence Correctional Centre correctional case officer Keri Parbery said.
Ms Parbery said she worked in an area of the prison where new inmates were remanded and needed more supervision.
"To lose one or two staff out of that unit is crazy, we have to escort those inmates everywhere they go, they have phone calls, legal visits, court expects them to be on time," she said.
Ms Parbery said elsewhere in the prison, they were often left with one staff member to watch 50 inmates.
"Most of us will stay back to make our shifts go 14 to 18 hours some days, and you'll always at least grab two or three overtimes a fortnight just to make sure you have enough to cover what you need at home," she said.
