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Prison officers who walked out in a 24-hour protest have been ordered to go back to work by the High Court.
Up to 10,000 officers in England and Wales had stopped work at midnight on Tuesday in a demonstration against a "surge in violence" in jails.
The Prison Officers Association (POA) protest threw the criminal justice system into chaos with the Jo Cox murder trial at the Old Bailey one of many postponed.
The justice secretary had claimed the action was unnecessary and branded it "unlawful".
And at the High Court on Tuesday afternoon, the Government won an injunction against the walkout.
Mr Justice Kerr heard an urgent application for the injunction to "restrain" the POA from "inducing any form of industrial action".
The judge's order will have immediate effect with prison officers expected to return to work "forthwith".
He said it was a "very urgent" application with evidence of up to 80 per cent of staff taking some sort of action in the majority of prisons.
"A number of incidents have occurred in prisons today and the situation is very concerning indeed," he said.
Stuart Brittenden, counsel for the union, had argued: "The POA's position is that the Secretary of State is in breach of their contract in failing to provide a safe place and a system of work, and, as such, any instruction to them to continue working in those conditions in this environment is an unlawful one."
The POA had directed all its members to take part in the protest on Tuesday morning after negotiations with the Government over safety broke down.
Prison officers cannot by law take part in a strike and Mr Gillan had earlier admitted the action would be interpreted as one.
The protest, which began at midnight, followed a number of high profile incidents, including an alleged murder, a riot and two inmates escaping.
Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Justice Secretary Liz Truss said she met the POA on November 2 and talks with her team over safety measures continued over the next fortnight.
"These talks were due to continue this morning," Ms Truss told MPs. "Instead the POA failed to respond to our proposals and called this unlawful action without giving any notice."
Ms Truss said the union's position is "unnecessary and unlawful" and "will make the situation in our prisons more dangerous".
Announcing the move, the union said the "continued surge in violence and unprecedented levels of suicide and acts of self harm", coupled with the recent alleged murder and escapes "demonstrate that the service is in meltdown".
About 60 guards gathered in the car park within the gates of Pentonville. Dave Todd, POA representative for London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, said conditions in prisons were "volatile and dangerous".
"We need to act to protect ourselves," he said. "It has not come about quickly - it's a build-up over probably years actually.
"It's just unsafe. To me, prison officers taking this type of action speaks volumes for what's happening inside."
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