Prison Guards Walk Off the Job Over “Petty” Matters

A group of prison officers staged a walkout yesterday at the Belize Central Prison, protesting what they describe as poor living conditions in the officers’ barracks, including issues over shared locker space.

According to the protesting officers, between 11 and 15 guards walked off the job, claiming they have faced systemic mistreatment and were recently informed that their overtime hours would be cut. The action is reportedly in response to dissatisfaction with the recent barracks renovations, particularly the allocation of lockers and bunk bed arrangements.

Prison CEO Virgilio Murillo downplayed the protest, calling it a dispute over “petty” matters. “They all want their own locker, which is impractical given the number of guards,” Murillo said.

He added, “Whether they’re at the prison or not, they just want a locker to be assigned to them, remain locked with whatever personal items they may have in there while they’re on their shift off, which is seven days.” He explained that the barracks contain 40 bunk beds and 83 lockers for over 200 officers.

“ Similarly, they did not want to sleep on the top bunks. They all want an individual bed because they want to be low on the ground,” Murillo added. He described the request as “unreasonable.”

According to Murillo, the majority of those who walked off were recently hired and still on probation.

Murillo insisted that prison operations were unaffected by the walkout and that senior staff remain on duty. “If they walked off the job, they’ve essentially terminated their services,” he stated. “If they want to return, they will need to submit a letter of apology.”