By C1 Staff
GUATEMALA CITY — At least 4,000 correctional officers in Guatemala are on strike, demanding a pay raise that had previously been negotiated for them, along with the dismissal of the prison system’s president and an end to preferential treatment for certain prisoners.
Telesur TV reports that the strike will affect prisoner transfers to court and prison visitation.
Officers earn a monthly salary of US $179, which is less than the country’s minimum wage of US $192. Through previous negotiations, the officers were to receive a US $259 bonus.
They are also unhappy with the treatment of former vice president Roxana Baldetti, who is currently detained on corruption charges; one officer alleged that an administrator told her she would be fired if she turned him in for giving Baldetti a TV and other electronic devices.
The officers said they will not end the strike until their demands are met.