NSW Corrections staff walk off the job at 30 jails in protest of inmate’s brutal alleged assault on officer

NSW Corrections officers have walked off the job at 30 prisons and hundreds of courthouses across the state, in protest over a prisoner who allegedly assaulted a guard before being bailed.

Public Service Association (PSA) workers walked out at 7am Tuesday and will not return for 24 hours.

“Our members are livid, a corrections officer gets bashed and left with life changing injuries and the guy gets released back into the community without being charged? It’s outrageous,” union secretary Stewart Little said.

The workers were forgoing a day’s pay to send a message they would not tolerate being assaulted, Mr Little said.

The worker suffered a broken eye socket, broken nose and had teeth knocked out.

The strike was prompted by the alleged attacker being released on bail for unrelated drugs charges on Monday.

Police arrested a 21-year-old man on Tuesday, and have charged him with cause grievous bodily harm to law enforcement officer reckless as to actual bodily harm.

A police spokesperson said police began investigating on July 28, three days after the incident.

The 55-year-old corrections officer was allegedly assaulted by the 21-year-old inmate about 9am, and the officer was taken to hospital.

Corrective Services NSW initially said a decision to lay charges over the July 25 incident was a matter for police.

“Staff are right to expect that inmates who assault them in the workplace will be met with the full force of the law and we encourage staff on duty to remain at work whilst police investigate,” a Corrective Services NSW spokesperson said.

“If this assault was perpetrated on a member of the public, we would expect the perpetrator to be charged and be outraged if this did not occur.

“Why should there be a different standard for our corrections officers?”

Prisoners were locked down in their cells and prisoners with court hearings were taken back to prisons following the union vote.