British prison officers go on surprise strike

LONDON, Aug 29 (Reuters) Prison officers across Britain launched a surprise strike today in a pay dispute but the government said the action was ''illegal''.

The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said the walkout followed what they said was a long-standing disagreement with the government over pay and conditions.

It was not clear what effect the strike was having at Britain's jails which house almost 80,000 inmates.

''This action has not been taken lightly. What we are asking for is to be treated fairly,'' POA national chairman Colin Moses told BBC TV.

Moses said prison officers had had two years of below inflation pay awards, and had asked for urgent talks but had been ignored.

''We regret this action by the Prison Officers' Association, which is illegal and a breach of the Joint Industrial Relations Procedural Agreement,'' a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said. ''We will be seeking advice on our next step.'' She said the prison service was still waiting to see how the strike action was panning out.

Moses said it would be up to the courts to decide if the action was illegal.

REUTERS SZ SSC1345