Prison guard protests against bill to expand the force

SANTIAGO.- A leader of the National Association of Penitentiary Officials (ANFUP) chained himself to a front gate this morning, where defendants enter the Santiago Uno criminal courthouse. The action was taken to protest a bill that seeks to expand the Prison Guard force and includes several provisions that the organization disagrees with.

The protest began at 8:00 am this morning, when the Second Corporal of the Concepción Prison Officials, Óscar Benavides, chained and hand-cuffed himself to the gate in order to prevent prison vehicles from entering the premises.

According to the president of ANFUP, Pedro Hernández, the bill that was sent to Parliament does not represent demands made by Penitentiary Guard employees and, in some cases, makes labors performed in prisons even more dangerous.

One of their objections is the fact that the career would be extended from 30 to 35 years, with the addition of an "auxiliary" rank when the vocation is technical, adding one more year prior to retirement and causing an undesirable extension of one's career.