The Union of Technical Specialists of the General Directorate of Reintegration and Prison Services (SInDGRSP) filed a complaint with the European Commission on Wednesday against the Portuguese state for allegedly violating the rights to equality and fair working conditions of the workers it represents.
In a statement, the union, which represents professional technicians in educational centres and electronic surveillance services, senior technicians in social reintegration teams and senior re-education technicians working in prisons, denounced the lack of a review of their professional careers since 2008, the year a law came into force that provided for the transition of these professions to the new general professions of senior technician.
“The failure to develop a law on the career review of the above-mentioned workers results in a violation of the right to equal pay,” SinDGRSP said, assuring that its professionals are “victims of negative discrimination” and that the failure to review their careers harms them, “in violation of a fundamental right of the European Union.”
The career transition, according to the diploma approved in February 2008, was to be completed within 180 days.
“Considering that if the above-mentioned careers had been revised in accordance with what was determined in 2009, and since more than 15 years have passed, each employee would have suffered damages of at least €54,715.50,” you can read the complaint form submitted to the European Commission.
The complaint, signed by lawyer Ana Catarina Loureiro and accompanied by an opinion from constitutionalist Jorge Baquelar Gouveia, points out that the Portuguese justice system has already taken steps to try to resolve this situation and that there are no forecasts for the various lawsuits pending before the courts.
According to information released by the union in July, a review of the careers of technical specialists at the General Directorate for Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP) is due to begin discussions with the government in September.