Morocco's prison administration vows to equalize compensation of prison guards

Prison guards receive a wage and compensation that are not commensurate with the size, nature, and gravity of their jobs, according to Morocco’s General Delegate for Prison Administration and Reintegration.

Mohammed Salih Tamek, General Delegate for Prison Administration and Reintegration, responded to a written question from parliamentarian Nadia El-Tohamy, from the Party of Progress and Socialism, which had been forwarded to him by Mustafa Baytas, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister in Charge of Relations with Parliament and government spokesperson.

In response to this, the General Delegate to the Prisons Administration and Reintegration stated, “So far, the request for similarity has not been met as it has been for the rest of the security sectors, which would allow prison staff to receive rehabilitation compensation, burdens, risks, and housing compensation, despite many calls for urgent intervention from the concerned authorities.”

Prison guards are subjected to very dangerous circumstances on a daily basis, a profession fraught with daily dangers that threaten both their lives and their well-being, whether inside or outside the prison, and where sometimes attacks on guards reach the point of murder, Hespress AR reports.

He also emphasized the closed nature of the field and the unpredictable consequences. “Regarding the psychological strain on the employees, particularly in light of the unusual circumstance our country experienced when the Corona pandemic broke out, and employees were subjected to quarantine in prison institutions in order to immunize the prison population, the prison space, and its workers,” Tamek said.

As the official noted, the employees suffered psychological effects during the quarantine period, which prompted the delegation to coordinate with psychological experts to offer them support and assistance.

Tamek also mentioned the long working hours that some security personnel has to perform, some of which extend up to 14 hours each day, and the need to perform their duties day and night, even on holidays.

Despite the increasing prison population in most institutions, the ratio of supervising employees does not exceed one employee for every 11 prisoners, according to the General Delegate of Prison Administration and Reintegration.

This percentage rises to one employee for every 40 prisoners during the day, and one employee for every 300 prisoners during the night work period, a percentage that remains far below the international framing rate of one guard for every three prisoners.

In contrast, the General Delegate for Prison Administration and Reintegration is requesting, in coordination with the competent authorities, approval of the draft decree regarding the status of the prison administration and reintegration staff.

It would enable the sector to have a review of the compensation system and the promotion system similar to the rest of the similar sectors and include the delegation of the sector’s security authority which has the authority to directly appoint responsibility without recourse to the match ruler, as well as increase the number of annual financial positions allocated to the sector.

The commission also aims to raise the compensation of directors and heads of interests in prison institutions, since they are not paid enough for the responsibility entrusted to them.

As part of its efforts to mitigate the negative repercussions of this situation on employee morale, Muhammad Salih Tamek confirmed that the General Delegation worked on exploiting all possible options. It granted 18 months seniority to about 90 percent of employees and organized two annual transitional movements to help employees achieve family stability.

By contracting with lawyers in various parties, the General Delegation also continued to provide legal protection for employees who were subject to malicious attacks or complaints.