RISLEY Prison officers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a national pay dispute.
They could now go on strike depending on the result of national negotiations.
"If the police have to run the prison, it would be an absolutely basic regime," said Mick Pimblett, Risley's branch secretary of the Prison Officers Association (POA).
"The prisoners would be fed and locked back up. They would basically be locked up 23 hours-a-day."
Risley officers voted by 201 to 17 to take action after being offered a 1.6 per cent pay rise from a pay body they do not regard as independent.
Government solicitors have said the POA is breaking a no-strike agreement and threatened to take it to court to seize its funds if a strike went ahead.
The POA's solicitors believe the action would be legal because it was a properly conducted ballot. The national vote was 87 per cent in favour.
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