The Department of Justice last night indicated its unwillingness to allow prison officers rewrite elements of a new pay deal which they have already rejected, despite delegates at the Prison Officers' Association annual conference in Castlebar, Co Mayo, putting forward a compromise deal.
The officers want a new pay offer which would allow some prison officers work no overtime while allowing some of their colleagues to increase their levels of overtime.
However, within an hour of the compromise deal being put forward, a spokeswoman for the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said there could be no quick fix to the stalled talks.
She reiterated Mr McDowell's unwillingness to reopen elements of a pay deal already agreed at arbitration and said any changes would require "careful scrutiny".
"The Minister is not in the business of renegotiating the proposals for organisational change as recommended by the Civil Service Arbitration Board. He made this crystal clear following the POA's rejection of the proposal and reiterated it at his meeting last week with the POA executive."
As part of Mr McDowell's get-tough approach, he is to press ahead with a €25 million per annum cost-cutting reform package and will today publish legislation to privatise prison escorts.
Under the pay offer already rejected by the POA, prison officers would have earned a salary of between €48,000 and €70,000 in exchange for working an average of seven hours overtime each per week. They would also have been paid a once-off payment of €13,750.
Different bands of overtime were included in the terms of that deal. Around five per cent of officers were to be permitted to work no overtime. Another, as yet undetermined percentage of the State's near 3,200 prison officers, were to agree to work other bands of overtime hours per year including 112 hours, 228 hours and 340 hours.
The Government believed that under this offer the prisons overtime bill, which has exceeded €60 million, would have been reduced by €25 million. However, the officers rejected it two to one. Many did not want to work overtime and believed they would be forced to do so under the deal.
Under the compromise plan agreed by delegates last night the prison officers want the top 340-hour per year band to be increased to 400 hours per year.
They also want the banding changed to allow "at least 10 per cent" of officers work no overtime at all. The association believes these non-pay elements can be changed because they are not bound by arbitration.
POA president Gabriel Keaveney said the "tweaking" of the banding would facilitate the different needs of its members without costing the State any more money.
Those who wanted to increase their income with overtime could do so, while the officers who did not want to work any overtime at all would also be facilitated.
"Our suggestion won't cost the State a cent extra," he said.
He was now hopeful Mr McDowell would meet the POA and that progress on the current impasse could be made.
He would not be drawn as to what action officers would take if the compromise plan was rejected by Mr McDowell.