The government was in court within hours seeking an injunction to stop the strike - the POA has admitted breaking a "no-strike" deal but said it was a desperate move by demoralised staff in overcrowded jails.
Selling over the past couple of trading sessions has been violent and panicky, as steep declines in the price of bullion were accompanied by the breaking of key technical levels, sparking stop-loss selling, margin calls, and then risk managers and asset allocators offloading commodity holdings to build cash levels.