The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has been strongly criticised for his handling of the prison officer dispute by Fianna Fáil's Seán Fleming TD.
In a apparent reference to the cost-cutting plan to be implemented in the prison service by Mr McDowell, Mr Fleming said in a statement that "social partnership does not entail any arm of the Government issuing warnings to law-abiding, tax-paying State employees".
His comments come as Mr McDowell is about to bring in stringent controls on salary and overtime spending across the prison service in response to the rejection by prison officers of a pay deal.
Mr Fleming told Mr McDowell the issues with the prison officers could be resolved if all involved were committed to responsible negotiations.
"This is the time for cool heads and it is important that neither side take any provocative action. Get back around the table as soon as possible and negotiate an agreement and build on the savings that have been achieved in recent times," he told Mr McDowell and the prison officers.
Private companies had recently proven "totally incapable" of providing secure escorts for cash in transit. With this in mind Mr McDowell should revisit his decision to privatise prison escorts.
Two of the biggest prisons in the State, the Midlands Prison and Portlaoise Prison, are in Mr Fleming's Laois/Offaly constituency. Many of the near 700 prison officers who work at the prisons live in the constituency.
Mr Fleming was elected to the Dáil on the sixth count at the last general election. He got 409 more first-preference votes than Fine Gael's Charles Flanagan.
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