Prison workers also threaten to go on strike

BarcelonaThe prison system's response to the murder of a cook at Mas d'Enric has not satisfied all workers. In fact, it has fueled protests from some prison professionals. Two years after the crime, some workers denounce a "sustained discrimination" compared to their colleagues, security officers. Those protesting are staff from the same public company where Núria López worked when an inmate killed her and then committed suicide. Now, the inter-center committee – which represents the workers of this company throughout Catalonia – threatens a strike if the Generalitat does not agree before next Tuesday to give them the same improvements that Interior officials and other professionals in the sector have received.

the agreement between unions and the department that ended prison blockades after the crime at Mas d'EnricThe representatives of CIRE workers also criticize that they are the only ones who have not been recognized as agents of authority. This legal status, which increases protection against aggression, was a historical demand of security officers and was also extended to prison directors and rehabilitation prison workers – psychologists, educators, jurists, and social workers – but not to CIRE workers, who provide training to inmates or work in workshops and can have a job within the prison.

Ultimatum to Justice

"Let's see what happens without a kitchen or pantry," warns a worker in the face of a possible sector strike, the third that the Generalitat would have to face in recent months, considering the one in education and the one in healthcare. Another worker resents the benefits received by Interior civil servants but not them: "They had improvements at our expense and we had to be there for the CIRE minimum services during the protests," he says, recalling the blockades at the prison gates after the crime while cafeteria and kitchen workers continued to work.

The assemblies in recent days among the workers of this company have led to an ultimatum: if they do not have a response to their requests by Tuesday, they will opt for a strike. The workers have already warned the Minister of Justice, Ramon Espadaler, the Secretary of Penal Measures, Elena Pérez, and the Director of CIRE, Daniel Ortiz, in a letter.

In the letter, the professionals denounce a "situation of comparative grievance and discrimination" of the workers who depend on the public company CIRE compared to the civil servants who depend directly on the Department of Justice. They criticize that, despite sharing work environments and both groups having contact with the inmates, the others have achieved labor improvements and more safety measures, although "even today there are several work areas at CIRE that require an evaluation and the implementation of a response that guarantees minimizing risks".

The management "shares" the request

Union sources assure that they agreed with the management that they would carry out the necessary procedures so that the CIRE workers would have the same economic improvements as those given to civil servants following the union agreement almost two years ago. The refusal would come from the Department of Economy, which, according to union sources, has asked to negotiate the entire collective agreement to assess the increase, and they criticize that this could significantly delay the procedure.

For their part, sources from the Department of Justice consulted by ARA also assure that the CIRE management "shares the will to improve the conditions of the staff and recognizes their work within the penitentiary system". They add that the department, the company, and the Secretariat for Penal Measures, Reintegration, and Victim Support "continue to work jointly with Public Function to find ways to provide a quick and effective response to the situation".