POINTE BLANCHE:--- Prison Guards working at the Pointe Blanche Prison will be going into industrial action today (Thursday) as they demand that the current director of the prison Edward Rohan be removed from his seat as director. SMN News also learned that the prison guards intend to conduct a march sometime today. The protest action is spearheaded by the WICSU.
According to information reaching SMN News, it states that the prison guards are up in arms with the director whom they said are incompetent. They also said that since the shooting incident at the Pointe Blanche prison that claimed the life of a prisoner (Omar Jones) Rohan did not make any effort to speak with his staff or the prisoners about the incident. Sources within the prison said that Rohan they don’t believe Rohan was screened when he was hired and if he was done then those that did the screening missed a big part of his life when he was attending college in the USA. Apart from that they also alleged that Rohan is an alcoholic that reports to work almost every day intoxicated and that efforts are being made to get him into a rehabilitation center to deal with his personal issues.Since that incident, the Minister of Justice Edison Kirindongo has provided a phycologist to assist with the trauma the prison guards and prisoners suffered while security was beefed up with police and VKS officers assisting in manning the prison.Since Rohan took office several prison guards are on extensive leave leaving the prison facility short staffed. SMN News further learnt that Rohan and the acting head Deri Leonard have not been doing anything to improve the safety of the prisoners, instead, they are violating the human rights of the prisoners housed at Pointe Blanche prison. On Thursday morning the prisoners were not served breakfast, as not one workers' went to work to even to provide meals to the prisons that are being locked in their cells since last Wednesday when the deadly shooting took place at the house of detention that claimed the life of Omar Jones,
In an invited comment, Minister of Justice Edison Kirindongo confirmed that he was informed of the strike the prison guards planned to take on Thursday morning but he was not informed about the planned march.
SMN News learned that police was sent to man the prison while the prison guards met with their unions at the WICSU/PSU office, at the meeting were representatives of ABVO, NAPB, and the WICSU.
Prison Guards to down tools Thursday and march as they demand the removal of Prison Director Edward Rohan.
