I WAS just coming to last Wednesday from a very sweet sleep, but somewhere in my consciousness knew I still had a delicious half hour before the radio went on.

That usually means the awful choice between staying in bed and listening to John Humphrys on the BBC's Today programme on Radio 4, or getting out of bed and making the tea.

On this occasion, I wasn't given the choice as my deliberations were rudely interrupted by the phone ringing.

It was my Private Secretary to tell me the Prison Officers Association (POA) had called a lightning one day strike, starting not in a few days time, but a few minutes.

It was quite a reminder, if I needed one, that my new department is one of those in Whitehall where there is the potential for plans to suddenly change, and at all times of the day and night.

It was an extremely serious situation, for which we had absolutely no warning.

I have a great deal of respect for prison officers and the work they do, on behalf of us all, as a vital part of the criminal justice system.

They are as important to our public services as nurses, teachers and police officers.

But the POA has a legally binding agreement, signed voluntarily, not to strike.

The importance of maintaining the safety and security of the prisons estate goes without saying, and that is why the agreement is there.

It was a message I was able to deliver to the waiting media when I arrived for a pre-arranged visit later that Wednesday morning at a youth court in south London.

But my first duty last Wednesday was to ensure the security of the prisons was maintained.

This was achieved thanks to contingency plans put in place by the Prison Service, at their headquarters in London, and the dedication of those prison staff who went in to work in a very difficult situation.

Because the strike was unlawful under the terms of the agreement with the POA, we also put in place plans to go to court to ask for injunction ordering the prison officers to go back to work.

This was agreed at lunchtime, though it was hours before industrial action was called off.

I was extremely sorry that the strike was called, particularly as one of the key demands of the POA could so easily have been achieved without calling on its members to take action.

POA leaders, you see, were saying they wanted a meeting with ministers in my department.

And funnily enough, the weekend before the strike action, I had the same thought.

I had spoken to one of their leaders after my appointment in the Ministry of Justice and met them at social events, but I was conscious that we were yet to have a formal meeting.

With that in mind, last Tuesday, the day after the Bank Holiday (and with absolutely no knowledge of what was about to happen) I asked my office to fix a meeting with the POA.

My diary secretary called their office around 5pm that day, and left a message to say I was keen to see them.

Less than 24 hours later, they were on strike - with the answering machine message still awaiting a response.

I was able to tell the POA leaders this when they came in to the office last Friday to see me and my team.

The meeting was a long one, and while we reached agreement on a joint statement at the end, it was probably a great deal more difficult than it might have been had they not taken the action they did last Wednesday.

I sincerely hope that the next time we meet it will be in different circumstances.

As for the unexpected calls at unusual hours of the day - I expect there will be more of them in the future.