Staff on Strike at Seven Prisons in Western Canada

Employees at seven prisons in Canada’s Alberta province are on strike to protest the suspension of one of their colleagues, a report said.

Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis calls the strike illegal. The province is seeking a court injunction to force the workers back to their posts.

The dispute began at the Edmonton Remand Center on Friday after a correctional worker was suspended for complaining about safety issues, AP reported.

Seventy workers who arrived for the Friday afternoon shift refused to go inside, prompting officials to put the facility into lockdown and restrict prisoners to their cells.

Guy Smith, the president of the Alberta Union of Public Employees, said employees at seven detention centers have walked off the job as of Saturday.

Denis said the centers are being “securely operated through the assistance of police and management”.