The Prison Officers Association says the drafting in of Gardaí and members of Defence Forces to train up on their jobs is a provocative move by the Irish Prison Service.
The union has warned that a strike of their members over pay and conditions could be immanent.
The IPOA says Gardaí and Soliders have visited every prison in the country to be trained on the job - so that they could take over in the event of industrial action.
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General Secretary Jim Mitchell says it's entirely provocative:
