The Director General of the Irish Prison Service has described prison officers' proposed industrial action as a clear breach of the national pay agreement.
Prison officers plan a work stoppage on Friday week in protest at a new security screening process. They are unhappy that under the proposals they will be screened before clocking-in.
Brian Purcell, Prison Service Director General, has said he is available for discussions.
He says the Towards 2016 agreement says staff should co-operate pending arbitration.
In a statement the Prison Service said that officers already benefit from a ten-minute grace period.
