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The clock is ticking on a strike that could see 6 000 unionized correctional, parole and probation officers walk off the job this Sunday. Members of the union who may strike say overcrowding and under staffing in jails are the reason they already rejected a tentative deal with the Ontario government.

The Ontario government is sending food, medicine and portables to jails across the province including the Barton street jail as managers get set to take over in the event of a lockout or strike which could happen as early as 12:01 a.m. this Sunday. Union members say the conditions inside the jails will be dangerous when they aren’t there working.

Jim Richards is a correctional officer and is currently on the corrections bargaining team. He was on strike back in 2002. “Walk into your bathroom with two of your family members shut the door and spend three days there. That’s pretty much what conditions are like for prisoners inside during the lockdown.”

In previous labour negotiations, the government reached an agreement which guaranteed that a significant percentage of correctional officers would report for duty during a strike. This time around, there is no agreement in place requiring any unionized officers to run the jails.

“There is potentially a safety situation because there tends to be more lockdowns when managers are running it.”

In a written statement the government says:

“As part of our contingency planning, managers from across the Ontario public service have received comprehensive training to perform work that is typically done by those who may be on strike either in a correctional facility or in the community.”

Judges and lawyers say labour troubles are slowing down proceedings in several trials, including that of accused killer Dellen Millard who was several hours late to his court hearing on Monday.