The President of the National Syndicate of Prison Guard Corps (SNCGP), Frederico Morais, announced that three ongoing strikes by prison guards are taking place: one at Linhó, a total strike; one at the Lisbon Prison, started in January 2018 focusing on overtime; and one at the São João de Deus Prison Hospital in Caxias (Oeiras), which began in June, scheduled to end on December 31, covering the proceedings that inmates must attend.
On Friday, the Portuguese Association for Prisoner Support (APAR) reiterated that the protest at Linhó — reportedly with near 100% adherence according to the SNCGP — is causing “severe problems for inmates,” as they “have no clean clothes,” face “reduced visiting hours,” and are “confined 22 hours a day.”
The protest, justified by the union due to alleged security deficiencies in the prison, has been extended monthly since December.
Responding to questions today from Lusa regarding the anticipated end of the Linhó strike, Frederico Morais warned it would only conclude when “the [prison] director leaves.”
Morais also noted that staff from other prisons — Chaves, Coimbra, and Porto — are seeking to call strikes, also citing security reasons linked to a lack of prison guards and an excess of activities for prisoners.
“This could occur in the coming days,” he stated, emphasizing that this is happening despite negotiations with the government on labor issues “proceeding well.”
Lusa was informed by the Directorate-General for Reinsertion and Prison Services (DGRSP) today that the strike at Linhó has created “constraints and limitations” in inmates’ daily lives, which both they and their families have handled with “civility and understanding.”
“Following the strikers’ refusal to allow entry of bags with clothes for inmates, the prison provided tanks for inmates to wash their own clothes,” the agency noted, adding that “washing machines have also been purchased and will be installed very soon.”
The organization also highlighted that “trips to hospitals and inmate visits are part of the minimum services,” after APAR attributed an incident where a prisoner swallowed objects for the fifth time in a month to the ongoing protest.
