At least 1,000 prison guards will go on strike Thursday to protest crowded conditions and lay-offs, and to improve work contracts in Colombia’s prison system.
Colombia’s National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC) union announced that they will go on strike Thursday due to a lack of attention and dignity of the workers and inmates, particularly on the part of the Ministry of Defense.
INPEC claimed that “the government, headed by the Ministry of Defense, had not addressed INPEC worker’s claims concerning the dignity of the prison system,” according to Colombia’s W Radio.
At least 35 establishments are on board for Thursday’s strike when prison workers will protest in front of the Ministry of Defense.
According to El Espectador newspaper, the strike will prevent inmate transfers as well as block access to prosecutors and lawyers from entering the prisons.
Hearings, internal referrals, and medical services within Colombia’s prisons will also be affected by the strike.
A lesser strike organized by INPEC occurred earlier in May when some 80 prison officials in southern Colombia protested for the exact same reasons.
MORE: South Colombia prison guards protest overcrowding
The Riohacha prison in Colombia’s northern coastal region was reported to be overcrowded by 438% in May of this year.
Sources
- A partir del jueves iniciara paro nacional en el Inpec (W Radio)
- Guardias del Inpec anuncian suspension de actividades a partir de este jueves (El Espectador)
