No-one can say that we didn’t try to engage the politicians in a debate about the state of the criminal justice system at the Prison Officers Association conference this week. Let me explain.

In the run-up to next year’s general election the POA national executive committee decided to invite all the main political parties’ criminal justice spokespersons to attend our conference for a “question time” panel that would have been chaired by Simon Israel, home affairs correspondent for Channel 4 News. 

This would have given each party an opportunity to outline issues relating to the criminal justice system and prisons policy. You might have thought that Chris Grayling (Conservatives), Nigel Farage (Ukip) and Simon Hughes (Liberal Democrats) would have jumped at the chance. 

Sadly, they made their excuses not to attend and take part in the debate. Perhaps they are not as confident with their brief as they make out. 

Politicians like to make headline news in the papers to make themselves look good and tough on crime but then when offered a platform they squirm and shy away from an audience with prison officers and other POA members within the justice system. 

Credit is due to Labour, whose shadow justice minister Jenny Chapman was happy to participate in the debate. You have to ask why the other political parties declined. 

It is my personal opinion they are cowardly and on the run for a simple reason. 

The coalition government has made a mess of the justice system through its budget cuts and prison closure programme which is placing prison officers and related grades in a volatile and intolerable position in an already overcrowded prison system.

The politicians do not feel comfortable debating prison issues in front of experienced POA members who are on the front line each day keeping law and order within our overstretched system. 

Quite simply they would have been rightly exposed on their shortcomings by our delegates. 

The POA is holding its 75th annual conference at Southport this week against a backdrop of a coalition government causing destruction within the criminal justice system and putting budget cuts before public safety.

There is no getting away from the facts. Assaults on POA members are on the increase, with a Crown Prosecution Service reluctant to prosecute crimes against offenders when they assault prison staff. 

Budget cuts have seen so many experienced prison staff leave the job on redundancy. There are 5,000 fewer staff than there were in 2010 at the same time as prisoner numbers are rising. Morale is at an all-time low. 

The destructive decision to make prison officers work to the age of 68 years treats POA members with contempt. 

The POA will not accept this change to pension age and we will continue to campaign and protest against it until we get pension justice. Our members have been on the receiving end of a pay cut year on year. 

On average, our members’ families are worse off by £1,600 a year, yet the government boasts that there is now an economic recovery. An economic recovery for who exactly?

They are talking up the economy that remains fragile and without any proper foundation. 

For example, try telling the one million youngsters who cannot get a job, apart from zero-hours contracts, that things are on the up. 

I don’t believe for one minute there is any feel-good factor in the public sector or indeed in the private sector. 

The reality is that families are struggling to make ends meet and some are relying on foodbanks and pay-day loans to see them through to the end of the month. 

It is about time that these loan sharks were outlawed through legislation. In modern Britain, it is a disgrace that foodbanks and pay-day loans exist. 

Politicians need to address these issues before they can claim that there is an economic recovery.

David Cameron recently boasted that if the Tories get an outright majority at the next election he will bring in legislation to make sure that unions and their members when balloting for strike action will need to have more than a 50 per cent majority. 

Perhaps they should apply that test to members of Parliament as very few MPs reach that threshold. 

It is about time that the British government recognised, as Germany does, that trade unions are part of the solution rather than the problem. 

Until there is a complete change in attitude from all political parties towards workers’ rights and trade unionism, we will continually see an attack on our terms and conditions, no matter what your occupation, and there will be an erosion of terms and conditions year on year. 

Slowly but surely we are going backwards in this country, apart from the top 1 per cent who are doing very nicely.

The trade union movement needs to stand up for itself, even if it means taking collective action by way of a general strike. 

I do not say that lightly, but if workers do not see improvements to their terms and conditions, there is a danger they will see little relevance in the trade unions. 

If the Tory threat of raising the threshold to 50 per cent in a ballot for any form of industrial action comes to fruition then it will be absolutely impossible for any union to take action because they will always fall short of that threshold. 

The POA has been denied the right to take lawful industrial action for 20 years, but actually it has not stopped us taking action when our members believe it is right to do so. I firmly believe that other unions may be forced to take similar action if Cameron gets his way. 

Historically, though, workers and unions didn’t worry about legislation. Every gain that workers have got, from achieving the eight-hour day through to maternity leave, has been fought for and struggles and sacrifices have been made. 

If any government makes things too restrictive and punitive then history may have a habit of repeating itself where workers take action irrespective of the law if they believe a wrong has been done to them. 

The POA would rather act within the law but politicians have restricted our basic fundamental rights as workers without giving us adequate compensatory measures for resolving simple issues like pay disputes along with independent binding arbitration to resolve workplace disputes. 

The POA will formulate policy for the next year on a variety of subjects and we will continue to fight for social justice in society along with fairness in the workplace. We want a Royal Commission held into prisons on a wide range of issues. 

It is time for such an independent review regarding the terms and conditions, pay and workplace problems that POA members have to endure. Our members do a vital job on behalf of society but at times do not receive the recognition that is deserved. 

It is time that changed and the professionalism of those that keep society safe is not only recognised but rewarded in full.

Steve Gillan is general secretary of the POA.