An ongoing strike of Colombia’s state prosecutors has grown to include close to 300 officials in the northern state of Cordoba, reported local media.
The 300 government officials have stated that the government has not fulfilled promises and refuses to negotiate higher salaries. The national union of the Prosecutor General’s office, led by Alvaro Marquez, has been promoting a strike to acquire a fair salary and bonuses for the “high risk” job these people conduct, according to the coastal newspaper, El Universal.
According to Marquez, in May 2014, the union presented Prosecutor General Eduardo Montealegre a list of grievances that has not been addressed on any of its points.
For this reason, four unions that represent Colombia’s law agencies have gone on strike; the union of employees of the Prosecutor General’s office, the union of forensic workers in Medellin, the union of forensic workers in Ibaque, and the union of the internal affairs division.
With so few workers, the Prosecutor General’s first responders have only been able to attend the crimes of murder and aggravated robbery.
The problem is compounded because the penitentiary institute and INPEC prison police are also on strike. Prison’s are not receiving new prisoners, and so the Prosecutor General’s office is starting to overflow with criminals.
Sources
- En paro 300 funcionarios de la Fiscalía de Córdoba (El Universal)
