NT Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley has requested Territory Families youth workers to fill in at Holtze prison when prison officers go on a 24-hour stop-work on Monday, a departmental document shows, and follows on from Estimates hearings in late June where the Corrections Minister refused to disclose staff shortages in the department.

United Workers Union NT secretary Erina Early said corrections staff across the Territory were protesting against the four-year pay freeze announced in November 2020, as well as issues with overcrowding, lack of staff, and an inadequate corrections budget.

The officers will be holding a 24-hour strike on Monday, and holding a rally at the corner of Tivendale Rd and Stuart Hwy, Berrimah at 9:45am, and at the Correctional Officer social club on Tivendale Rd.

A letter sent to staff from Territory Families said Commissioner Varley was seeking support staff to work a 12-hour day shift, or a 12-hour night shit, as part of NT Corrections’ “contingency plan”.

“Duties may include meal deliveries, reception, gatehouse, hospital bedsit of low-risk prisoners, general escorts of low risk prisoners…” the letter said.

“Please note that shifts worked will be receive [sic] a double time penalty, in additions to your nominal fortnightly pay for TFHC (Territory Families, Housing and Communities).”

It warned that any staff who nominated for the prison officer shifts would still have to work their regular rostered shifts at Don Dale on Monday and Tuesday.

“Your shifts will not be substituted to attend the above mentioned shifts for NTCS.”

In late June, corrections officer and union delegate Phil Tilbrook told ABC radio that NT Corrections was a “dysfunctional service”.

“We’re not providing the services that are required to our prisoners, we are suffering from severe overcrowding, we have prisoners sleeping on floors, we have increased lockdowns,” Mr Tilbrook said.

“Yet we are severely short-staffed and we are still required to do the same amount of work every day.

“Our figures are quite clear that across the Territory we are about 64 staff short.”

In Budget Estimates on June 21, Justice Minister Chansey Paech refused to publicly disclose how many corrections jobs are currently vacant, despite possessing the information, the union said, amid growing concerns around corrections officers’ safety and high attrition rates.

Mr Paech fronted Estimates hearings with Commissioner Varley but refused to say how many vacancies currently exist or the number the government is currently recruiting for, citing “rolling recruitment” processes.

The pair would also not disclose how many staff work on a particular day or how many they were short on a day.

At the time, Ms Early said the Minister and Commissioner had the figures but were “lying and not being transparent”.

“They all have this information, the day rosters list all the positions filled and the number of vacant positions – they do know,” she said.

“I’m getting sick of government and government agency heads lying and not being transparent.”

On Friday Ms Early said despite a change in Chief Minister, and rising inflation, the NT Government refuses to offer workers a fair wage increase, forcing correctional officers to take strike action on Monday. This strike follows on from earlier strike action taken in May.

“Workers will continue to escalate action until the government returns to the table with a reasonable offer,” she said.

“Corrections continue to be at crisis levels with overcrowding, lack of staff, an inadequate budget etcetera.

“Correctional officers are suffering and we need to ensure they are properly remunerated for the risk they deal with on a daily basis.

“I urge the government to consider the long-term impacts of their four-year wage freeze.”

NT Corrections have been emailed for comment.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article said youth workers were to work in Don Dale youth prison. This is incorrect. We apologise for the error.