lang: en
Summary
In August 2007, prison officers in England and Wales, organized by the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), staged a 24-hour strike to protest harsh working conditions, demand the right to strike, and settle a pay dispute. The strike involved thousands of officers from 129 prisons, but was called off after a court injunction and a government promise of negotiations. The campaign ultimately failed to achieve its goals, as the government later passed a law banning prison officers from striking.
Background
Prison officers in England and Wales faced increasingly dangerous working conditions, with attacks on staff rising from 204 in 1996 to 1,050 in 2006. In 2007, the government offered a 2.5% pay increase that the POA calculated as only 1.9% due to being split into installments, leading to demands for improved conditions, the right to strike, and a fair pay settlement.
What happened
On August 16, 2007, internal POA reports indicated that 90% of its 28,000 members voted in favor of striking [source: nv-database]. On August 27, 20,000 prison officers from 129 prisons in England and Wales walked out at 7 a.m., confining over 80,000 prisoners to their cells and disrupting court hearings and visits [source: nv-database]. Twelve hours into the strike, a court injunction ordered officers to return to work or face heavy fines, as the strike violated a 1993 law prohibiting prison officers from striking [source: nv-database]. The POA called off the strike at 7 a.m. [source: nv-database] the next day, exactly 24 hours after it began, citing the government’s promise of upcoming negotiations [source: nv-database]. In the following months, the government offered a 2.2% pay increase, which 85% of POA members rejected in a March 2008 ballot [source: nv-database]. On May 9, 2008, the government passed a mandatory law banning prison officers from striking, ending hopes for the right to strike [source: nv-database]. The POA did achieve a small victory when Scotland’s Justice Secretary announced Scotland would not pass a similar law [source: nv-database].
Key people & organizations
- Prison Officers’ Association (POA)
- Bob Rennison
- Brian Caton
- Colin Moses
- Geoff Burrows
- John Hancock
- Steve Gough
- Jack Straw
- Kenny MacAskill
- John Cox
Tactics used
The POA used a professional strike to disrupt prison operations and draw attention to their demands, combined with a mass petition and civil disobedience of the law banning strikes, to pressure the government. [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: lost.
The campaign failed to achieve any of its three main goals: working conditions remained unchanged, the pay dispute was not resolved, and the government passed a mandatory ban on strikes. The POA rejected a government pay offer, and the government’s legal action and new law solidified its opposition, leading to a complete failure except for a symbolic victory in Scotland. [source: nv-database]
Lessons
- A strike can quickly mobilize large numbers of workers but may be legally vulnerable if the right to strike is restricted.
- Rejecting a compromise offer can lead to a worse outcome if the opponent has the power to legislate against the campaign.
- Public support from unexpected sources, such as former inmates, can provide positive media coverage but may not translate into political wins.
Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database —
[[nv-database]]
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via
worker_casestudies_v2.py