The Prison Officers Association has accused the Irish Prison Service of trying to provoke a strike in the country's jails.
Prison officers attending their annual conference in Clare expressed anger that gardaí and members of the Defence Forces were being trained to man prisons in case of industrial action.
Prison officers took industrial action earlier this year on three occasions.
The Prison Service responded by training members of the Defence Forces and the gardaí to man prisons in case of an all-out strike.
It defended the move saying it had to have contingency plans in the event of a strike with Prison Service Director Michael Donnellan saying it would be reckless not to do so.
But the Prison Officers' Association has said such action has contributed to industrial relations being at their worst level in 20 years.
POA General Secretary John Clinton described the move as provocative and said it was not acceptable that soldiers and gardaí were walking around the prisons while the POA was in negotiations at the Labour Relations Commission and there was no threat of a strike.
