Prison staff in the province of Antwerp began a 48-hour strike on Wednesday evening, following similar protests in recent weeks in East Flanders, Flemish Brabant, Limburg, and West Flanders.
A meeting between union representatives and prison authorities is programmed for Thursday.
The protests originate from long-standing issues such as prison overcrowding and staff shortages. Strikes will take place in the prisons in Mechelen, Turnhout, Merksplas, Antwerp, Wortel, and Hoogstraten.
The prison administration, for its part, asserts that it has been trying to speed up recruitment in some areas to cope with the staff shortage. It also says the number of inmates sleeping on makeshift mattresses on the floor has been greatly reduced – from 200 to 50.
Belgium’s penitentiary system is built to hold 10,000 prisoners, but hosts 12,000. The overcrowding is a concern for the unions, especially with the approach of summer and higher temperatures.
