Shropshire Star

Shropshire prison staff join education pay strikes

Angry staff from Shropshire's only prison joined peers across the country in a strike about pay freezes.

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Education staff at Stoke Heath Prison, near Market Drayton, were striking in a row over pay.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) in further education colleges in England walked out for 24 hours today.

The union, which has 20,000 members in the sector, said staff are angry employers were recommending a pay freeze in response to a claim for a £1 an hour increase.

Martin Poole, from Dawley, has worked at Stoke Heath Prison for nearly five years providing education for prisoners.

The 48-year-old said: "The strike today is for fair pay.

"We work at the prison and provide education such as Maths and English.

"We work for Manchester College and over the last 12 months we have seen cuts in hours and staff.

"We have lost 10 members of staff through voluntary redundancy and that has meant our work load has increased.

"We haven't seen a pay rise in about four years.

"The constant cuts are starting to hit and people are struggling.

"As the price of things are increasing - our wages are not.

"This is a first time in a long time we have took part in a strike but we thought something needed to be done so we are listened to.

"I think this is a show of strength.

"There has been too much cutting - enough is enough."

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