Meeting between prison unions and government ends without agreement

Wednesday's meeting between six prison union representatives and Catalan vice president Laura Vilagrà has ended without an agreement.

The head of the UGT Prisons of Catalonia, Núria Nassare, described the meeting as "disappointing," as she explained to media that "a resignation" was expected.

Union leaders want the secretary of penal measures, Armand Calderó, and the Minister of Justice, Gemma Ubasart, to step down from their posts after a cook at Mas d'Enric prison was killed by an inmate who later died by suicide last week.

Spokesperson for the Catalan executive, Patrícia Plaja, said that the meeting was "only the beginning" and stated that "the starting point of negotiations cannot, under any circumstances, be resignations."

Plaja, however, pointed out that when "all information" is available, "the necessary actions" will be taken.

Protests

Outside the government headquarters building on Wednesday, prison workers gathered for a protest against what they see as a lack of action and responsibility taken.

Pablo, a nephew of the murdered Núria, was one of the people who took part in the demonstration. He also demanded the resignation of Ubasart and Calderó for "responsibility for what has happened."

"Someone has to take responsibility for what happened, and they are not doing it," he said. "Since last week, I'll never be able to hug my aunt again."

"This cannot be allowed, it's very serious and in any democratic country in Europe these positions would have already resigned," he said.

Recent days have seen other wide-scale protests outside prisons across Catalonia as staff blocked access to jails and prisoners remain kept in their cells. 

The dispute between workers and the justice department over safety and working conditions was sparked on Wednesday by the killing of a cook at Mas d'Enric prison at the hands of an inmate who later took his own life. 

The Catalan justice minister has not ruled out sanctioning prison staff who do not go to work while the current protests are ongoing. 

On Monday morning, the justice department said that cells were only opened at only two prisons – Quatre Camins and Joves, which are housed on the same site – leaving 5,500 prisoners confined across Catalonia. 

At around 10am, it was confirmed that the 1,400 prisoners at Catalonia's biggest prison, Brians 2, had been allowed to leave their cells, leaving around 4,000 inmates confined. 

Even where prisoners have been allowed out of their cells, there are no workshops or activities as would normally be the case. 

The 4,000 inmates who remain locked in their cells are in Brians 1 (1,034), Wad-Ras (106), Lledoners (802), Mas d'Enric (793), Puig de les Basses (717) and Ponent (625). 

At the women's prison (Wad-Ras), where facilities are very old, inmates were allowed out to shower but then had to return to their cells.