The prison unions of Catalonia have called off the strike scheduled for this Friday, the first day of the 12-M electoral campaign, and that of next May 11, after agreeing on improvements with the Catalan Ministry of Justice in the meeting held in recent hours, with the mediation of the Department of Labor.
As reported by UGT and the Ministry, the representatives of this union and those of CCOO, CATAC and Intersindical have agreed to call off the two days of strike after extracting from those responsible for the Generalitat labor improvements and commitments to reinforce security in prisons, in the meetings they have held in the last two days.
During the negotiation, an agreement has been closed that involves labor and security improvements for prison officials worth approximately 30 million euros, the Department of Justice of Catalonia has specified.
The agreement includes measures such as the replacement of inmates in the cafeterias for external staff, self-defense training for prison workers, a new batch of radio transmitters and pushbuttons and the review of emergency and security protocols, as well as the disciplinary procedure. and sanctioning.
Likewise, remuneration increases have been agreed that represent increases of 13 to 22 percent of the specific complements and that in the greatest of cases can amount to 10,100 euros per year. Likewise, overtime hours have been updated in amounts increased by 40 percent compared to the current ones and a remuneration supplement will be paid for the provision of services on Sundays. The highest risk situations will also be assessed, where it will be mandatory to work in pairs, both in the areas of internal regime and rehabilitation.
Other agreed measures are to apply gender equality policies, the creation of a Penitentiary Training School and measures for personnel over 55 years of age, such as the non-assignment of security protocol tasks or assignment to modules or areas of special conflict.
According to the Department of Justice of the Generalitat, the proposed improvements mean “a significant reinforcement of the Catalan penitentiary model, based on the centrality of reintegration and rehabilitation and respect for the dignity and safety of all people, inmates and workers.” .
The strike that had been called for today, along with another strike scheduled for next May 11 – a day of reflection – is part of the wave of mobilizations that prison officials began last March, following the murder of a cook at the Mas d’Enric prison in El Catllar (Tarragona) at the hands of a prisoner, who committed suicide.
