EPSU

EPSU backs Norwegian prison officers' complaint to the Council of Europe

catherine — 2010-05-26T13:40:34Z

(Brussels 26 may 2010) At its meeting of 12 May, the EPSU prison services network discussed the complaint brought by the Union of Norwegian Correctional Services Employees, UNCSE-YS, to the Council of Europe against Norway's correctional services for being in breach of the European Prison Rules.

The Council of Europe's prison rules set out minimum standards on correctional services taking account of the needs of prison administrations, prisoners and prison personnel. They were last revised in 2006 and signed by 47 European governments, including Norway.

In Norway, prison officers must carry out 2 years' initial training. However, UNCSE-YS is concerned by the increasing use of unqualified prison officers, representing today 1 out of 4 officers.

The estimated 500 unqualified officers are young, on the lowest pay grade of the state sector and far below the wages of qualified officers, have little or no access to vocational training and work overtime to make up for the low wages. They are not equipped to respond to challenging behaviours that can put their health and safety at risk as well as of other colleagues.

This situation leads to a two-tier workforce and poses a serious risk to maintaining high standards in the care of prisoners as required by the European Prison Rules.

In the absence of a response by the government, EPSU's Norwegian affiliate is resorting to the Council of Europe. The complaint is currently being examined by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

“Norway's prisons have probably the best record in Europe in terms of lower incarceration rate, detention conditions, lower recidivism rate, good working conditions and trade union rights. These standards must be maintained and built upon, not undermined for short-term budgetary considerations.” says Jean-Paul Devos, EPSU's NEA vice-chair (Belgium, CSC services-publics).

To the knowledge of EPSU, it is the first time a trade union is using the European Prison rules on the ground of failing working conditions. It may well be a test case for other trade unions. Whilst not directly binding on governments, the rules are not only an important policy guide to maintain or reform standards in prison services, they have also been been used to back cases at the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights.

The network agreed to send an EPSU letter of support to the Council of Europe, to monitor further developments and publicise the complaint with their respective governments. At the meeting, the network also held an initial exchange of views with the European Commission on a pending green paper (consultation policy document) on detention conditions in EU prisons.

A report of the meeting will be available shortly.

UNCSE-YS complaint (in English)


KY-YS complaint

For more information, please contact Nadja Salson, nsalson@epsu.org, T+32 2 250 10 88

more photos available here

European Prison rules, 2006, 9 key principles:

>http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/legal_co-operation/prisons_and_alternatives/

1. All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with respect for their human rights.

2. Persons deprived of their liberty retain all rights that are not lawfully taken away by the decision sentencing them or remanding them in custody.

3. Restrictions placed on persons deprived of their liberty shall be the minimum necessary and proportionate to the legitimate objective for which they are imposed.

4. Prison conditions that infringe prisoners' human rights are not justified by lack of resources.

5. Life in prison shall approximate as closely as possible the positive aspects of life in the community.

6. All detention shall be managed so as to facilitate the reintegration into free society of persons who have been deprived of their liberty.

7 Co-operation with outside social services and the involvement of civil society in the prison shall be encouraged.

8. Prison staff carry out an important public service and shall be recruited and trained and have conditions of work that enable them to maintain high standards in their care of prisoners.

9. All prisons shall be subject to regular governmental inspection and independent monitoring.

Prison services network meeting, 12 May 2010

catherine — 2010-05-12T09:12:00Z

International Trade Union House, 5 bld Roi Albert II, room B
12 May 2010 - 9.00-17.00

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to a meeting of the EPSU Prison services network.

It will take place on Wednesday 12 May 2010 in Brussels at the International Trade Union House, ITUH – 5, bd du Roi Albert II – room B.

It will start at 9.00 and end at 17.00.

The draft agenda and related documents are attached.

Please note that our Belgian colleagues are trying to arrange a visit to a prison in Belgium. Further information on the date and location will follow as soon as possible (the day before the meeting or after the meeting).

Meeting languages

Interpretation has been requested as follows: Active (you can speak and listen to) English, French, German, Spanish, Passive (you can speak but not listen to: Italian, Greek, Swedish

Accommodation and financial assistance

Should you require accommodation, a list of hotels in Brussels is attached.

We expect participating unions to cover all travel and subsistence costs of their representatives. Committee members from countries under 100% on the ‘5 band' index, are referred to the attached ‘rules governing financial assistance'.

Please fill in and return the attached participation form by 15 April at the latest.

Meeting documents

Invitation letter


invitation LC 21 - DE


invitation LC 21 - FR


invitation LC 21 - ES


invitation LC 21 - SV


invitation LC 21 - RU

Participation form


Participation form

List of hotels and area map


Hotels Brussels


Map ITUH

EPSU to mark first anniversary of European Action day on Prison Overcrowding

catherine — 2009-02-19T14:52:00Z

(30 January 2009, Brussels) EPSU will mark the first anniversary of their Prison action day on 16th March 2009. The day will highlight the fact that overcrowding in prisons, throughout the EU, is still a major problem.

EPSU will call on members of the European Parliament's Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to support the action. EP members will be asked to sign up to the EPSU Public Service Pledge as a way of publicising the need for quality standards in prisons which, as a minimum, should be in line with the Council of Europe's Prison Rules.

Martine ROURE (PSE, FR) stated recently in the European Parliament that: "We are calling for an active struggle against any form of discrimination and to respect human dignity, particularly in prisons, because all too often humanity is left at the door there". EPSU will focus, in particular, on the issue of ‘Pre-trial detention' a key area that is already being discussed by the European Commission. EPSU affiliates will aim to send letters to their Justice Ministers and MEPs on the issue of Prison Overcrowding. Nadja Salson, EPSU officer for National Administration stated that: “one year after our action, overcrowding in European Prisons is still as bad as ever. We need to work towards a European plan of action to alleviate the effects on prisoners and on prison staff”.

EPSU prison staff network to maintain pressure on prison overcrowding

catherine — 2008-12-10T08:27:31Z

(9 December 2008, Brussels), Meeting in Brussels on 4 December 2008, the EPSU prison service network gave a very positive assessment of its first coordinated trade union Action Day against prison overcrowding of 28 February.

It was agreed to maintain the pressure against prison overcrowding using the European elections 2009, in the framework of the EPSU public service pledge, and the Swedish EU presidency in the second half of 2009.

There is some scope for cooperation with the European Commission which has taken some initiatives to alleviate prison overcrowding. Thomas Ljungquist, DG Justice, Freedom and Security, presented a recently agreed Decision on mutual recognition of supervision measures as an alternative to provisional detention for EU non-resident detainees (known as a European supervision order).

EPSU policy officer Nadja Salson stated that; “We are pleased that the European Commission is taking the issue of prison overcrowding seriously. It recognizes that prison overcrowding is a European problem and is in breach of the Council of Europe's prison rules. We look forward to staff expertise being recognized as essential to policy developments in this area, both at national and EU levels.”

This decision enables EU Member States to share ways of keeping non-resident defendants out of prison ahead of their trials. Initial proposal by the Commission was that it would reduce by 8000 detainees.

The EPSU prison action plan (2006) recognizes that the excessive use of pre-trial detention, which represents from 11 to 58% of all prisoners (depending on Member State), is a key cause of prison overcrowding and should therefore be reduced for non serious offences.

The Commission said it is conducting a survey on minimum standards on pre-trial detention procedure and routines for review of the grounds of detention (initial findings will be presented in February 2009).

Updates on prison policy around Europe:

In addition to prison overcrowding, participants discussed staff shortage, high rate of prisoners with mental health problems, collective bargaining and legislative developments. The Norwegian union has lodged a complaint to the parliamentary ombudsman for non-compliance with European prison rules' provisions on training. Prison officers have no right to strike in Estonia, France, UK, Poland and Sweden. In France, this ban extends to probation and rehabilitation advisers who are under a special status of civil service. Trade union density is however, high on average 60% in the EU, It was reported that in the UK 2 new private prisons are due to be built and run by the private sector. In the Netherlands a special prison for detainees with mental health issues will be run by private sector. It was reiterated that EPSU is against privatisation of prison services. It is not a solution to prison overcrowding whilst it leads to worse working and detention conditions in prisons.

EC Presentation : "Future of detention conditions in Europe"


EC future of detention conditions - EN


EC future of detention conditions - FR

Working Group on Prison Services, 4 December 2008

catherine — 2008-12-04T12:47:00Z

WORKING GROUP MEETING ON PRISON SERVICES
04 December 2008
ITUH –International Trade Union House-Room B
5 bd du Roi Albert II, Brussels

We are pleased to invite you to a working group meeting on Prison services which will take place on 04 December 2008 in Brussels at the ITUH – 5, bd du Roi Albert II – room B.

The meeting will start at 10h00 and end at 17h00.

The agenda will follow shortly including the following items:
Action Day against prison overcrowding 28-02-2008: Evaluation and follow-up
EPSU Action plan on prison services (reattached)
Recent developments on prison services
Exchange of views with representatives of the European Commission and Council of Europe (tbc)
Please inform me of any issues you wish to raise.

Meeting languages
We have requested interpretation as follows: speak in and listen to English, French, Spanish, Swedish as well as an Eastern European language to be determined in light of the participation list as established on 25 October. You can speak in but not listen to Danish, Dutch, Italian and Norwegian in light of the participants' list.

Please complete and return the attached registration form by 24 October at the very latest.

Exceptionally, financial assistance is available according to the attached EPSU ‘rules governing financial assistance in EPSU conferences', for a limited number of participants (1 per country). However, reimbursement will be made on the basis of completed expense claims (including original vouchers) that will be distributed at the meeting.


INVITATION - FR


INVITATION - DE


INVITATION - SV


INVITATION - ES

Participation form


part form

List of hotels and area map


hotels list


map ITUH

Other MEETING DOCUMENTS

Entrevista al Delegado de CC.OO. en C.P. Tenerife II en la TV Canaria

catherine — 2008-07-28T13:20:35Z

Entrevista a Delegado CCOO Prisión Tenerife II - España

Speech of Ann Norman, RCN, UK - 28 February 2008, Brussels

catherine — 2008-03-13T15:01:13Z

Prison Action Day 28-02-2008 Brussels UK, RCN, Ann Norman

The RCN is the largest nursing union and professional organisation in the world. We represent almost 400,000 nurses.

Several thousands work within the Criminal Justice System, police, prisons, courts and services and Immigration centres.

I am saddened to report that UK has highest imprisonment rate in Western Europe.

In England and Wales at least 2/3 of prisons are overcrowded.

Current population in England and Wales is 82,000 and growing 75% higher than 15 years ago (146 prisons “super prisons”).

The RCN is very concerned about the impact of overcrowding upon its members.

Prisons commonly accommodate 2 or 3 or more people in cells designed for 1.

Human dignity is being compromised and this is a priority concern for the RCN.

The UK prisons inspector -Anne Owers- has recently noted in her annual report

that there has been an increase in deaths in prison;
that a reduction of purposeful activity and a reduction of programmes to tackle re-offending has been noted;
that there is increased transportation of prisoners around the country searching for suitable space.

Jack Straw, UK Justice Secretary, this week appealed to magistrates to send fewer people to jail. Numbers were “already outstripping official forecasts”. He too, voiced concern about regular use of court cells to hold prisoners -a practice sharply criticised by chief inspector of prisons. Services in private prisons (10 in UK) are no better! Our members cite:
Poor professional support
Limited access to training
Inadequate response to meeting health needs of prisoners.

The RCN calls for:
Improved working and living conditions for prisoners and staff;
Improvements in health care staff ratios in order to meet the complex health needs of prisoners, in particular: M.H.Drug & alcohol common diseases; long term conditions;
Reduction in over reliance upon agency staff -who is often inexperienced and may compromise security and safety.

Finally the RCN values the activities of EPSU to assist us in raising our concerns and its ongoing support in the future.

Speech of Stephen Withers, PCS, UK - 28 February 2008, Brussels

catherine — 2008-03-13T14:22:00Z

28-02-2008 Prison Action Day

Speech, UK, PCS, Stephen Withers

Hello everyone,

I'm very pleased to be here to speak on behalf of the Public and Commercial Services union, which represents civil servants and other workers in the UK. In particular I bring greetings from the PCS Prison Service Group Executive Committee and our members working in prisons in England and Wales.

I'm speaking to you at a time when the prisoner population in England and Wales is rising relentlessly, and last Friday the number of prisoners in custody was 82,068, while the capacity is 81,972. The UK governments' solution to this problem is, of course, to build more prisons -15,000 more prisoner places over the next few years. And of course, many of these new prisons will be managed by the private sector. This will ensure that England and Wales continue to have more private prisons than any other country in Europe.

The Labour Party, which said in 1996, before they came to power, that they would return private sector prisons to state control, have instead continued the work of the previous conservative government.

Jack Straw, the Secretary of State, now tells us that competition is good, but in fact the only thing that can be said about private prisons is that they are cheap.

PCS believes very strongly that too many people are sent to prison unnecessarily and that in many cases, community punishments would be more effective.

And of course there are many for whom prison is totally unacceptable and indeed damaging: the mentally ill, drug addicts, vulnerable women and children and people with learning disabilities, for example.

Over the last few weeks and months, Jack Straw and others have begun to state that magistrates and judges should send fewer people to prison.

This has been tried before, but without sustained investment in community punishment and supervision, mental health treatment and drug misuse treatment, simply asking the courts to send fewer people to prison will fail once again.

Finally, the growing prisoner population is being used as a pretext for privatisation, and we are aware that some EU governments are now actively considering these options.

PCS states, clearly and without reservation, that making profit from the imprisonment of offenders is morally wrong and indefensible.

In conclusion, we welcome the work of EPSU in organising this event and we hope it will be the start of a massive campaign throughout Europe to force a radical change of direction by our governments.

PCS will firmly support these efforts and I know you will do the same.

Thank you.

Intervention de Celine Verzeletti, CGT-Pénitentiaire, 28 février, Bruxelles

catherine — 2008-03-10T14:53:31Z

Dans un même pays, l'évolution du taux de détention en fonction de la politique pénale est une donnée très éclairante. La France en est un très bon exemple :

En 2000 le livre de Véronique Vasseur remet en cause les conditions de détention, le chef de l'Etat déclare le 14 juillet 2000 : « Nous avons cinquante et un mille prisonniers, c'est un nombre excessif, dans la mesure du possible il faut le diminuer. Différents rapports de parlementaires dénoncent l'état désastreux des prisons et demandent l'élaboration d'une commission pour réfléchir sur une loi pénitentiaire :
En 2000, le taux d'incarcération chute de 84. 2 à 80. 1,
de 2000 à 2001 il passe de 80.1 à 75.6

Fin 2001 début 2002 le discours politique sur la justice change littéralement, le principe de la « tolérance zéro » fait son apparition. En 2002 : les français sont appelés à voter pour les élections présidentielles et la droite passe. Deux lois de programmation et d'orientation sur la police et la justice sont élaborées, le sécuritaire est largement mis en avant par les politiques :
de 2001 à 2003 le taux de détention passe pour 100000 hab. de 75 à 101.

Nous le constatons, la politique pénale a un lien très fort avec la situation politique sociale et économique. Les dernières campagnes électorales en France sont révélatrices. En effet, la sécurité était, et reste, un enjeu majeur alors que dans ce même temps les débats concernant les problèmes économiques et sociaux sont écartés. Aujourd'hui les reculs en matière sociale (retraites, sécurité sociale, école, santé....) et économiques (licenciements de masse sur tout le territoire) sont sans précédents, tout comme l'est le taux de détention. La polarisation sur le sécuritaire semble servir de paravent aux politiques, dans la plupart des pays industrialisés, et ce, afin d'évincer les reculs désastreux dans tous les autres domaines.

Par ailleurs, le contrôle, la sécurité, l'incarcération deviennent du fait des taux élevés de détention, une véritable industrie. Effectivement, tous les systèmes de sécurité : caméras, alarmes, systèmes de brouillages de téléphones, bracelet électronique sont les nouveaux produits et besoins qui permettent le développement florissant de cette industrie contemporaine. Les prisons privatisées sont aussi des ressources pour les marchés et entreprises privées. En France, les 13 000 nouvelles places permettent la construction de quantités de prisons privées. L'Etat n'en sera que le locataire.

Cette politique pénale a pour conséquence un taux d'incarcération qui ne cesse d'augmenter, nous le savons et les conséquences sur le terrain sont nombreuses et désastreuses. Les conditions de travail se détériorent, le surmenage produit fatigue et stress. Comme le disent certains collègues, tout cela peut « entraîner de la démotivation mais surtout des fautes professionnelles, des dérapages pour lesquels bien entendu l'administration ne manquera pas de nous sanctionner ! »

Les missions des différents personnels qu'ils soient de surveillance, administratifs, techniques ou sociaux ne peuvent plus être remplies correctement. La prison se déshumanise, notre travail aussi. La dignité humaine des détenus ne peut être préservée du fait de la surpopulation carcérale. Ces conditions, cette violence institutionnelle engendre souvent, chez les détenus, de la colère, de la haine. Ainsi, tous les personnels, interlocuteurs de proximité deviennent alors ceux sur qui cette haine va se déverser. Outil de cette déshumanisation, l'architecture des prisons privées est à relever : des coursives longues et oppressantes, des plafonds bas avec très peu d'ouverture donc très peu de lumière naturelle, des postes de travail isolés les uns des autres où la communication entre les personnels est très réduite. Les futures prisons sont en voie de construction et c'est une agence privée qui élabore le cahier des charges. Les professionnels pénitentiaires ne sont malheureusement pas concertés afin d'apporter toutes leurs compétences. Tout change sauf cela !

Les personnels sont, seront plus que jamais soumis à de mauvaises conditions de travail, la surpopulation carcérale générée par la politique pénale menée actuellement transforme la prison en une grosse machine broyeuse. La récidive augmente, un homme broyé ne se réinsère pas, la machine peut alors s'auto alimenter ! La sécurité, la prison deviennent un marché financier fructueux et ses besoins illimités.

Dans ces conditions particulières, comment lutter ?

Il est clair que l'administration veut des personnels soumis. Elle n'hésite pas à sanctionner les rebelles et s'octroie les outils nécessaires à une maîtrise absolue (statut spécial, procédures disciplinaires sans possibilité de défense pour les personnels, prime à l'intéressement pour les cadres.......). Nous ne pouvons pas nous laisser enfermer dans un tel système ! Nous devons prendre la place qu'il nous revient : celle d'acteurs de nos conditions de travail, de nos missions.

Tous les espaces de concertation, à tous les niveaux (local, régional, national) que nous pouvons acquérir par la lutte et la négociation doivent être occupés par tous les personnels et, de manière plus organisée, par les représentants syndicaux. Notre parole, notre travail nos luttes et notre contribution sont essentiels. Chacun (e) d'entre nous peut et doit, notamment par le biais du syndicat, ne laisser à personne d'autre le soin de décider de notre devenir professionnel, de notre rôle au sein du système judiciaire.

Il est grand temps de fédérer nos forces, l'initiative d'aujourd'hui est une première étape, la CGT pénitentiaire s'engage à poursuivre les luttes aux côté de tous les personnels pénitentiaires, s'engage à mener toutes les batailles nécessaires au sein de la fédération syndicale européenne des services publics.

Céline Verzeletti Secrétaire générale UGSP-CGT

Gran éxito de la acción “ No to overcrowded prisons” en Bruselas, promovida por CC.OO.

catherine — 2008-03-06T15:37:37Z

Unos 450 delegados sindicales de diez países europeos -entre ellos una treintena de CCOO- se concentraron hoy en Bruselas, frente al Consejo de Europa, para hacer llegar a las autoridades de la Unión su protesta por el hacinamiento en las cárceles, la escasez de plantillas y las deficientes condiciones de trabajo de los empleados de las instituciones penitenciarias.

Al acto acudieron delegados de CCOO Instituciones Penitenciarias de todas las Comunidades Autónomas, parte de la Ejecutiva de la Sección Estatal y una delegación de los compañeros de Cataluña, encabezada por su Secretario General. Por su parte, la Sección Estatal de II.PP. de CCOO, estaba encabezada por José Miguel Guzmán, Secretario General de la misma. En su intervención denunció “la insufrible carga de trabajo de los trabajadores penitenciarios, la ausencia de política de prevención de riesgos laborales, la escasa o nula formación del personal, desmotivación y falta de profesionales.” Añadió asimismo que “junto con el resto de los ciudadanos europeos queremos sensibilizar y exigimos un debate profundo para saber hacia donde van las Instituciones Penitenciarias.” Por último reclamó “la potenciación del Medio Abierto y de las medidas alternativas al ingreso en prision."

Este acto de protesta, convocado por la Federación Sindical Europea de Servicios Públicos (FSESP), coincidió con la celebración de la reunión de ministros europeos de Justicia e Interior, y en él participaron representantes de funcionarios de prisiones, trabajadores sociales, personal de enfermería, médicos y otros profesionales sanitarios.

Con anterioridad a la concentración, Lovro Sturm, ministro de Justicia de Eslovenia, país que ejerce actualmente la presidencia de la UE, recibió a una representación de los sindicatos, formada, entre otros, por la secretaria general de la FSESP, Carola Fischbach-Pyttel, y el secretario del área de Internacional de la FSAP-CCOO, Jaceck Ciacma.

Sturm, que saludó a los presentes con un “Buenos días” en español, agradeció a los sindicalistas la información que le trasladaron sobre la situación que se vive en las cárceles europeas, principalmente en lo referido al impacto negativo que el hacinamiento produce en los derechos humanos de los reclusos y en las condiciones de trabajo de los funcionarios de prisiones.

El ministro de Justicia esloveno recordó a sus interlocutores que el Tratado de la Unión Europea reserva exclusivamente a la U.E. una tarea de coordinación entre los distintos países, que son quienes, a través de sus legislaciones nacionales, tienen la potestad para tomar decisiones.

Por su parte, Fischbach-Pyttel quiso dejar claro al ministro que la escasez de las plantillas redunda en perjuicio de los reclusos y de los vigilantes penitenciarios, al tiempo que le insistió en que las penas de cárcel deben ser el último recurso que tomen las autoridades, porque antes tienen que agotar la vía de la prevención y otras opciones extracarcelarias.

La manifestación celebrada hoy en Bruselas combinó el tono reivindicativo con el creativo. Así, un grupo de trabajadores belgas construyeron una celda simulada de apenas cinco metros cuadrados en la que fueron entrando hasta diez supuestos prisioneros ataviados con el traje a rayas típico de las películas en blanco y negro.

En el guión de este improvisado montaje, un juez iba decretando prisión para cada uno de los reclusos y un guardia les abría la puerta de la celda. Al final, los propios internos rechazaban airadamente que otras personas entraran en el habitáculo, dada la escasez de espacio existente.


Comunicado

Más información y documentación en: www.epsu.org