The 24-hour strike in Belgian prisons, carried out by a united group of prison workers, ended on Friday night, Kathleen Van de Vijver, spokesperson for the Belgian penal system, said at 10:30 p.m.
Triggered by a significant increase in prisoners and detainees, along with a rising number of assaults, prison staff represented by the CSC, FGTB, and SLFP unions decided to go on strike from 10:00 p.m. on Thursday until the same time on Friday.
Services were limited to meal distribution and medical care, and prisoners remained in their cells, but the strike came to an end as planned on Friday night, the spokesperson confirmed.
During the day, prison directors proposed three measures to Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt (Open VLD) with a view to resolving the penal system deadlock.
The proposed measures include no longer keeping detainees in prison and a cap on the duration of pre-trial detention for less serious offences, particularly theft and drug-related crimes.
