WHAT: SA’s Corrections Officers vote on whether to continue lockdown for 48 hours
WHEN: 7.30am Tuesday the 9th of December 2025
WHERE: Yatala Prison, Grand Junction Road, Northfield
MORE INFO:
Corrections Officers across seven of South Australia's prisons will vote tomorrow morning at 7.30am on whether to continue a 24 hour strike which has plunged the prisons into lockdown.
Corrections Officers voted this morning to strike for 24 hours at stop work meetings at Yatala Labour Prison, Port Augusta Prison, Mobilong Prison, Port Lincoln Prison, Cadell Prison, and Adelaide Women’s Prison.
2000+ of the state’s prisoners have been confined to their cells ever since.
The Department of Corrections has reportedly been using Correctional Officers from the state’s two private prisons.
Corrections Officers are striking over a marked rise in violence in prisons and a crisis in staffing fuelled by low wages which has seen an exodus of Corrections Officers to other careers.
On Sunday an inmate was savagely beaten into unconsciousness at Yatala which resulted in metal plates being inserted in his face. In November at the same prison there were two further incidents of prisoners being bashed into unconsciousness.
In October a female inmate used a metal pole to give another inmate life threatening head and neck injuries, and severed a finger and a female Corrections Officer had her hand broken when disarming the inmate.
If Corrections Officers vote to continue their strike, management employees will have to do what they have been doing since this morning and ‘get back on the tools’ to carry out basic duties, and take care of inmates.
Correctional Officers await a fair offer from the Malinauskas Labor Government says Charlotte Watson, General Secretary of the Public Service Association which represents Corrections Officers.
“After months of violence and pay negotiations which go nowhere, Corrections Officers’ morale is at rock bottom,” said Ms Watson.
“Violence in our prisons is a direct result of the paltry pay, dangerous conditions and chronic understaffing which has led to a recruitment emergency,” said Ms Watson.
“We can't recruit or retain Corrections Officers because they start on $58,000.
“The fewer staff you have the less time prisoners spend out of their cells doing education programs or other productive things to equip them with the skills to stay out of prison, and the angrier they get and when you do let them out they bash each other, and our members.
“We know Corrections Officers are heading for the exits to begin careers in security, hospitality and retail jobs at Coles and Woolworths.
Why would you work in a prison surrounded by rapists and thieves when you could earn the same amount arranging fresh fruit and veges in a safe air conditioned environment?
“We have not heard a word from the Premier, Treasurer or Deputy Premier since our members took the decision to take unpaid strike action, what does that tell you?
“But we have heard the Department of Corrections has reportedly been recruiting Corrections Officers from the state’s two private prisons."
“To be honest I’m having trouble trying to explain to our members how a Labor Government could treat them this way, to repeatedly put pay offers to them below the award safety net.
“Fifteen months after bargaining began, the Government has failed to treat this with due urgency. Our members are now staring down a second Christmas with this agreement still in limbo.”
Contact: Tim Brunero 0405 285 547