THE Prison Officers Association (POA) today said it will step up its campaign in the new year to secure an option to retire at 60.

The union said government plans for prison officers to increase the retirement age from 67 to 68 from 2025 are “ridiculous,” and has been campaigning for the earlier retirement age on par with serving police officers and operational firefighters.    

Assistant secretary of the POA Phil Fairlie said: “Working in prisons up until the age of 68 is just not feasible for many of our members.

“Prison officers work with some dangerous people and are subjected on a daily basis to mental and physical stress.

“In 2024, we will be seeking meetings with the Scottish and UK governments to see how we can come to a more sensible and realistic retirement policy for our members, which at the very least gives our members the option to retire at 60.”

The Scottish Prison Service said the body will continue to oppose the scheduled rise “as it is unreasonable to expect all prison officers to continue with such demanding duties until this age.”

The Ministry of Justice was contacted for comment.