A nationwide prison guard strike in France ended on Friday after a union struck a deal with the government to hire more staff. Overcrowding and violence were the main issues driving the strike, which started on Monday after the union rejected the government’s initial proposal to recruit 100 additional guards in 2018 and 1,000 before the start of 2023. The protests escalated quickly shortly after, and on January 24 guards at the Maubeuge jail barricaded the prison entrance with a bonfire. Prime minister Emmanuel Macron has been under pressure to take action after a recent string of violent attacks on guards by prisoners.
See "French prison guards end nationwide strike", Reuters Staff, Reuters, January 26, 2018