Warders in Namur prison voted overwhelmingly at a general assembly on Friday to continue a strike they began 39 days ago. Of the 49 strikers who participated in the meeting, 47 voted in favour of remaining off the job even if it meant not being paid.
"The general feeling is that we did not strike for nothing so we continue,” said Pierre Trainito, a delegate from the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions, CSC. “And it’s not the famous flexibility allowance proposed by Minister Koen Geens that will make us give in”.
Only two drivers whose work entails transporting the inmates to court or to hospital, for example, voted against continuing the strike and planned to return to work.
Staff at Namur prison will thus continue to assemble outside the penitentiary over the weekend and into next week. They are supported by railway workers and TEC bus conductors, who are also on strike. Union representatives had explained earlier on Friday that despite the strike, the prison’s roughly 200 inmates were being given three meals a day, outdoor recreation and showers, but not family visits. (Belga)
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