Court system has “reached point of complete breakdown”, warns union leader
A prosecutors’ strike is cancelling trials and paralysing several courts across the country, according to a source from the Public Prosecutors’ Union (SMMP) today.
“We have districts where 100% participation is confirmed (…). Summary trials and trials scheduled for today that fall within minimum services will proceed,” Rosário Barbosa, president of the union’s Northern Regional Directorate said in a statement to journalists outside Porto’s Palace of Justice.
But other trials, like ‘Babel’ (‘high profile’) have been postponed.
The catalyst to this latest industrial action was the decision by the Superior Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office to see professionals combine civil, criminal and family and minors’ courts in order to make up for staffing shortfalls.
“Since 2014, we have been unable to fill all vacancies, and the situation has worsened. We have reached a point of complete breakdown. We now need new solutions. This fight is for our working conditions and also for the service we provide to citizens, because we strive to deliver a good service while running from one place to another and managing heavy workloads,” said Rosário Barbosa.
For the union leader, “this decision highlights the need to affirm both the principle of equality and the protection of parenthood, in addition to upholding all statutory principles.”
Asked how many more magistrates would be needed to ensure work is done without putting undue pressure on existing prosecutors, Rosário Barbosa said that between 120 and 200 would give some breathing space, and some capacity to fill gaps.
“We will need more time to secure a favourable outcome. We already met with the Minister of Justice on Monday, and she appeared unready to agree. Now the Superior Council, which meets today, will decide. We look forward to ending the strike as soon as the council hears and understands our situation,” she said.
This protest, called by the Public Prosecutors’ Union, also plans regional strikes on 11, 14 and 15 July – the last day before the summer judicial holidays.
“We guarantee minimum services, including procedural acts that ensure freedom, i.e., defendants in custody, minors who are detained, situations of terrorism, arrests, treatment under the mental health law, all procedures referred to in the law on the protection of children and young people in danger, and the interrogation of foreign citizens detained in an illegal situation for the application of measures with action and habeas corpus.
“And we decided to include forensic autopsies to provide this comfort to families. We could have opted not to ensure minimum services, but we chose to protect citizens and to prevent prisoners from being detained for longer,” the union leader concluded.
Source material: LUSA
