Prison wardens are grouped together by French gendarmes as they block the Lyon-Corbas jail near Lyon during a nationwide protest, in France, on Jan 22, 2018. PHOTO: REUTERS

Breakthrough in French prison standoff

 

PARIS (AFP) - The biggest union representing protesting French prison guards said Friday (Jan 26) it had reached an agreement in principle with the government to end nearly two weeks of action to highlight security risks and poor pay.

The Ufap-Unsa union said that new propositions from Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet were the "basis for a profound evolution in our prison system" and it would agree to end the protests.

However two other smaller unions, the hard-left CGT and FO, rejected the measures announced by Belloubet which include new equipment to manage Islamic extremists behind bars, including maximum security cells, as well as the creation of 1,100 new prison jobs.

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