Agreement to Avoid the Strike of Penitentiary Workers
This Friday morning, the Government and the prison unions have reached an agreement that has made it possible to call off the two strike days planned for this same Friday and for next May 11. The agreement involves labor and safety improvements for prison workers worth approximately 30 million euros. This was a response to the strike call following the death of a cook from the Mas d’Enric prison at the hands of an inmate last March.
Labor and Safety Improvements
Some of the agreed measures include pay improvements, improved working hours and compaction of the working day. In addition, there will be changes in the endowment and improvement of the equipment, renovation of the intervention teams, and security systems with the incorporation of personal push buttons, transmitting devices and adaptation of the centers to current technological standards. More specialized training and career paths will also be offered.
Labor Mediation and Reinforcement of the Catalan Penitentiary Model
Mandatory labor mediation regarding the strike called after the death of a cook at the hands of an inmate of the Mas d’Enric prison in March has been a key point in this agreement. This meeting channeled the negotiation of the second working conditions agreement promoted by the Department of Justice at the end of January, an agreement that had not been renewed since 2006. According to the department, the proposed improvements in the field of labor and safety mean a “significant strengthening” of the Catalan prison model, focused on reintegration and rehabilitation and respect for the dignity and safety of all people, both inmates and workers.
