Tamworth's prison guards will walk off the job in a 24-hour strike on Friday to protest the upgrade of a prison officer's charges to murder.
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The snap industrial action is set to prolong court matters, delay family visits and cause lockdowns at jails across NSW including the Tamworth and Glen Innes jails.
The Public Services Association claim the officer, who is accused of shooting an escapee inmate at Lismore Base Hospital in 2019, could face life in prison simply for doing his job.
Chairperson of the Tamworth Correctional Centre's prison officers vocational branch Shane McLean said local guards were disgusted by the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions to upgrade the charge from manslaughter.
He said staff didn't want to have the fear of a murder charge over their head every time they were directed to strap on a firearm.
"I think it's a concern for any officer," he said.
"Every time we escort an inmate away from the centre we're armed."
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Mr McLean said every prison officer at the Tamworth jail eligible to be a member of the Public Services Association is a union member, and 100 per cent of them would take strike action, he said.
The strike action would likely force the jail system to use executive staff to secure prisoners, order jail lockdowns, and prohibit court hearings on Friday.
He said there was a lot of "disbelief" and "anger" at the charge upgrade.
"We're going to have a brief meeting this afternoon [to talk through the industrial action," he said.
"Early indication is that all staff are fully supportive of the direction because at any given stage it could happen to any of us. Therefore we need to know that we have some protection in the role that we perform especially in relation to escort duties."
On Thursday, Public Service Association NSW General Secretary Stewart Little directed every jail in the state to take the industrial action, including both the Tamworth Correctional Centre and the Glen Innes Correctional Centre.
The strike will last 24 hours, from morning on Friday to Saturday.
A Corrections Services NSW spokesperson said the jails would continue operations, but cancelled court appearances and family visits.
"All NSW prisons will continue operating securely during strike action planned for Friday, 12 August 2022. During this period all essential services will be maintained," a Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman.
"Centres will not be facilitating family visits or court appearances during the strike.
"We are seeking the assistance of the Industrial Relations Commission to return staff to work."
Mr Little said the guard facing charges followed protocol.
He said guards urgently need a new, clear direction on when, and under what circumstances, they can use the firearms they are deployed with.
"As soon as a prisoner used force to break free and started fleeing the protocol was crystal clear: warn the escaping prisoner, and, if no response, shoot for the body mass," he said.
"If officer A had not followed this procedure he would have been reprimanded for allowing a dangerous prisoner to escape into the community. It now seems that the second the prisoner made a break for it, officer A was damned either way: let a prisoner escape and face discipline or shoot and face a murder charge.
"That's not a fair choice to inflict on anyone."
He said the officer was a "victim not a murderer" and shouldn't be put on trial for the protocol of the state's prison system.
The industrial action follows a strike in June.
Members of the union walked off the job that month, calling for stronger pay and conditions for members.
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