PARAMARIBO – The security unions recently explained that their problems have been piling up for many years because these problems are not being addressed by the authorities. They are currently waiting for the results of the talks that are being held with the head of parliament and the head of state. “We have had the same problems for many years and we have discussed them with the minister of Justice and Police but no solution has ever been presented. Now we are tired of waiting which is why we went to the president. He has presented solutions in other sectors so we hope that he will also find a solution for the security unions,” Gideon Wielingen, chairman of the union that represents the people who work for the Prison Guards’ Force (KPA), told Times of Suriname.

The unions want the problems regarding the salaries, allowances, bad conditions at the work place and the shortage of gear to be addressed. “There have been talks with the minister but these talks did not produce any results,” said Wielingen. The security unions and the union members assembled in front of the Office of the President last Wednesday. They were invited to a meeting with the president on Friday but hit the streets again because of a problem that had occurred at the Police Academy on Thursday morning. “The unions are not on strike but are conferring with each other. We had agreed to meet with all of the heads of the other unions at the Police Academy but when we got there we were told that our colleagues were not allowed to enter the premises so we decided to find another location. This is why the representatives of the various security units walk to the New Haven and assembled at the intersection. We then walked to the Statue of Kwakoe and occupied the intersection there for a short while. We finally ended up in front of the building of parliament where the representatives were invited to a meeting with the head of parliament. After these events had taken place the unions were invited to meet with the president on Thursday night instead of Friday…[+]