THE Prison Officers Association (POA) said it was prepared to take “any action” to tackle government inaction on record violence in jails at its annual conference today.

Deputy general secretary Mick Pimblett said that the union had put ministers “on notice” after members were left fighting for their lives in HMP Frankland following an alleged attack by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi last month.

He accused the government of “refusing to listen” to evidence of rising violence in jails presented to it by the POA.

“Urgent and sustained action is needed now to protect our members and the prisoners they look after,” he told delegates in Eastbourne.

“If things are not improved soon the POA will not hesitate to take any action to protect our members, regardless of section 127 or the permanent injunction.”

Prison officers in England and Wales are banned from striking under the section in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act and the POA is prohibited from inciting strike action by a High Court injunction.

POA general secretary Steve Gillan suggested that Mr Pimblett’s comments referred to POA’s legal action against the government due to be heard at the European Court of Human Rights.

The union argues that section 127 is a breach of their members’ human rights under article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This protects the right to freedom of association and assembly, including the right to form trade unions.

Mr Gillan told the Morning Star that the union will be relying on health and safety worker protections under the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Howard League for Penal Reform’s director of campaigns Andrew Neilson said: “The rising violence in prisons is unacceptable, and it shows why we must take sensible steps to reduce the number of people behind bars to create safer and more sustainable regimes.

“It is right that the POA should raise its concerns about working conditions, which for far too many staff have been intolerable.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We will do whatever we can to protect our hardworking staff. The Lord Chancellor has recently announced a snap review into protective body armour. The prison service will also be trialling the use of tasers in jails to better respond to serious incidents.”