Prison strikes in Belgium nearly quadrupled last year, according to the Central Council of Prison Supervision’s (CCSP) 2024 annual report, presented on Thursday.
Belgian prisons experienced 82 strike days in 2024 compared to just 19 in 2023. This figure excludes “emotional” protests. In light of this surge, the CCSP advocates for an “urgent” revision of the law on minimum service provisions in prisons to ensure the fundamental rights of inmates are upheld.
The council highlights continued defects within the prison system, aggravated by troubling overpopulation and increasingly difficult strike management. The minimum service legislation, in place since 23 March 2019, allows for staff requisition after 48 hours of industrial action and mandates a reduction of the minimum staffing threshold by 20 to 25% during the first 24 hours of a strike.
This law is deemed “deficient and inadequate” by the CCSP. According to the report, the minimum staffing threshold is not met in nearly 30% of cases due to chronic understaffing, high absenteeism, and spontaneous strikes not covered by the law. The council notes, “Even during normal periods, some teams do not reach this minimum staffing level.”
In over half the cases, essential services are not provided, leaving inmates, especially the most vulnerable, subjected to “inhumane conditions” and having their rights violated.
To address this situation, the council recommends that the federal government promptly adopt a royal decree proposed by former Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt (Open VLD), allowing for staff requisition from the first day of a strike, even for actions less than 48 hours.
The shortage of prison staff has intensified, with only 94% of positions filled, equating to 7,479 full-time equivalents as of January 2025, down from 97% two years earlier. Absenteeism remains high, as do delays in granting leave, all amid unprecedented prison overpopulation in 2024. The report emphasises, “The 24-hour strikes continue to multiply, unsurprisingly, as neither working conditions nor detention conditions have improved—quite the opposite.”
Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) praised the report as “thorough and interesting.” She reiterated the federal government’s commitment to ensuring a true minimum service in prisons. Verlinden also announced the development of a plan to improve working conditions for prison staff, in consultation with unions, aiming for implementation by 1 January 2026.
