A dispute between prison officers and Government over pay delayed two murder court cases for the second time this week.

The Prison Officers' Association (POA) spent more than an hour in a general meeting yesterday morning.

It resulted in a vote to call off a work to rule and enter into voluntary mediation over stalled salary negotiations.

However, the meeting meant no officers were available to escort prisoners from Westgate to Magistrates' Court.

That resulted in two separate hearings relating to the murder of Aquil Richardson on Boxing Day and of Matthew Clarke on April 9 having to be postponed.

Antoine Herbert Anderson, 31, and Phillip Anthony Bradshaw, 26, were not produced for an preliminary inquiry in the Richardson case — a step taken before the matter heads to the Supreme Court.

In addition, Kyle Sousa, 17, Vernon Michael Simons, 23, and Shannon Jerome Tucker, 32, were not present for an administrative hearing at which lawyers planned to discuss scheduling their trial for the alleged murder of Mr. Clarke.

Both matters were put off until this morning, having already been postponed from Tuesday due to the prison action.

Chairman of the POA Craig Clarke had said after the first delay: "I can assure you our sympathy and empathy goes out to those parents that have lost loved ones.

"It's no sign of disrespect to them, but it came at a time when we had to take action."

Meanwhile yesterday's monthly arraignment session at Supreme Court did go ahead, but only due to the efforts of dozens of Police officers who were called in to transport and guard prisoners.

They worked alongside senior prison officers who are not part of the POA — meaning Assistant Commissioner of Prisons Lionel Young was called away from his usual duties to stand behind defendants in the dock.

Chief Justice Richard Ground acknowledged the unusual situation at the end of the hearing, saying: "I would like to say thankyou very much to the senior officers who made this morning possible."

The 220-strong POA had been refusing since Monday to work overtime, in protest at 16 months of salary negotiations ending in stalemate.

Last Thursday, the union rejected an eight percent final pay offer from Government, representing four percent for each of the yearly contracts under negotiation — 2006/2007 and 2007/2008.

They voted for the work to rule on Friday, which prompted Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing David Burch to offer voluntary mediation.

Mr. Clarke said yesterday: "We will go to the table within the next couple of weeks, sit down with Government and see if we can hash out a deal."

The POA has expressed a number of gripes in the past over pay and conditions including a lack of rehabilitation experts, prison officers and modern vehicles.

There is also no specialist unit to house mentally-ill inmates — something which sparked criticism from the Chief Justice who ruled in March that one such prisoner suffered unacceptable conditions as a result.

Mr. Clarke said earlier this week that if "other issues" had been addressed, the eight percent pay offer might have been accepted.

Yesterday, however, he declined to discuss the specifics of the POA's complaints, saying he was saving that for the negotiating table.