Prison officers that work at prisons in all 5 Flemish provinces and the Brussels-Capital Region are staging a 24-hour strike. The strike got underway at 10pm on Thursday evening and will continue until 10pm today (Friday 6 December). The strike is part of a long-running dispute about staff shortages, overcrowding and acts of aggression committed against prison staff.
All the unions that represent prison staff are taking part. Robby De Kaey of the socialist trade union ACOD told VRT News that there is a lot of will to take strike action among prison officers.
The prison officers are demanding that the authorities take measures to address the increase in the number of acts of aggression committed against prison staff and to address overcrowding in the country’s prisons. Last month a prison officer that works at Leuven Central Prison received a threatening letter and his car was set on fire outside his home. Prison officers say that they don’t feel safe and they have no option other than to strike.
Prison officers in the whole of Flanders and those that work at Haren and Sint-Gillis prisons in Brussels are taking part in the 24-hour strike. The Prisons' service says that police officers will be drafted in to help staff the prisons during the strike if this proves necessary.