Cabo Verde's Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, has defended the revised career diploma for reintegration technicians, stating that it reflects an agreement reached with the technicians. The minister made these remarks while visiting the Angra do Heroísmo Court on the island of Terceira, in the Azores. On the same day, a strike was held by the Sindicato dos Técnicos da Direção-Geral de Reinserção e Serviços Prisionais (SinDGRSP) to contest the new decree-law revising the career of prison service technicians.
The strike and a demonstration outside the Porto Prison in Custóias were staged to protest the new decree-law. Minister Júdice responded that the recently published diploma accurately represents the negotiated agreement. She emphasized that the revision of the technicians' career was a long and complex process, and the resulting diploma reflects the agreement reached. The minister acknowledged that some descontentamento is natural, given that not all demands can be met during negotiations.
Minister Júdice highlighted that the revised career diploma brings improved working conditions for reintegration technicians. The career had not been revised for decades, and the ministry has made efforts to provide better conditions and continue working with the technicians. The minister stressed that her approach is to engage in dialogue and negotiations, which has been the case with all Justice careers, including those of reintegration technicians.
The SinDGRSP had called for a strike to protest the portaria on the revision of reintegration careers and the update of the risk supplement, published on September 16. The union claims that the outcome falls short of expectations and does not fully align with the signed agreement. The union's demands include harmonizing risk supplement values, revising the assistant technician career, and opening external job competitions.
According to the SinDGRSP president, Miguel Gonçalves, the new calculation method for risk supplements has created disparities, with some technicians receiving 120 euros, others 140 euros, 200 euros, or even 400 euros. The union reported 100% participation in the strike in Porto, with one worker providing minimum services, and around 70% participation in other parts of the country.
The SinDGRSP has a scheduled meeting with President António José Seguro on Thursday and is awaiting a response from the government regarding a request for a meeting made on Friday. Minister Júdice maintained that her focus is on implementing the agreed-upon diploma, emphasizing that it is not feasible to reopen negotiations the day after signing an agreement.
The revised career diploma is one of several efforts to improve working conditions for Justice careers in Cabo Verde. The minister expressed her commitment to engaging in dialogue with the technicians and other stakeholders to address their concerns. The implementation of the new diploma and potential future negotiations will likely continue to be a topic of discussion in the coming days.
Key points
- The revised diploma reflects an agreement reached with reintegration technicians.
- The SinDGRSP union is protesting the new decree-law, citing disparities in risk supplements and unmet demands.
- Minister Júdice is committed to implementing the agreed-upon diploma and engaging in dialogue with technicians.
