The government struggles to end a strike an unprecedented strike of prison staff. The dispute, involving penitentiaries in Brussels and the regions, shows no sign of being resolved. Prison wardens rejected a draft agreement between the justice ministry and the unions aimed at ending the strike which began over staffing cuts. The prison system has been condemned as ‘disastrous’ by senior lawyers. The government decision to call in the army to help is controversial. The unions consider a dangerous precedent to use the military forces to sort out a social issue. Dozens of striking workers gathered outside Forest prison on 10 May to call on the government to resolve the conflict. Trade unionists and prison workers demanding an end to austerity and better working conditions organised a demonstration into the justice ministry in Brussels on 17 May.
English: http://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/unrest-brewing-in-belgiums-prisons
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe …
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Willy De Backer wdebacker@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. Since June 2013 readers can consult our archive and search through all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.
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