Strike has postponed at least 1,000 trials, says union
The prison guards’ strike – just one of a slew of public sector strikes and works-to-rule that have peppered recent weeks and months – has already led to the postponement of more than 1,000 trials and more than 90% of scheduled sessions, according to the National Union of Prison Guard Corps (SNCGP).
The guards have been on strike since February 13 and, according to the union, support is now around 100%, with an impact on prisoner transport.
“We’re talking about the postponement of around 90-95% of trials,” Frederico Morais, from the SNCGP, told Lusa, noting that more than 1,000 sessions have been postponed in a fortnight.
According to the union leader, in prisons in Lisbon and Porto, the strike has led to the postponement of all trials.
The strike is also having an impact on medical appointments and, in these situations, minimum services are making it possible to ensure only 10% of appointments, with the rest having to be postponed.
The guards are on strike until March 9 – demanding (like other public sector workers) the “valorisation and dignification of professionals“, a “restructuring of remuneration supplements” and “approval for the performance evaluation system for prison guard professionals that has already been completed”.
Overwhelming adhesion to this strike “has to do with the dissatisfaction of the prison guard corps and the lack of answers from the government. We’ve been on strike for a fortnight and nobody has even deigned to talk to the prison guards,” Frederico Morais added.
Prison guards have also been supporting the protests carried out by PSP and GNR police since January, “motivated above all by the allocation of a mission allowance to the PJ that left out” all the other security services.
Lusa says it has questioned the Ministry of Justice about the impact of the strike on court proceedings and “is awaiting a response”.
The current election campaign has seen very little in the way of activity by ministries beyond the ministry of foreign affairs: Justice and health particularly have been eerily silent. ND
Source material: LUSA
