The authorities and unions in higher and university education have reached an agreement on the salary scale after a three-month strike that paralyzed the academic year in public universities. The report of the teachers’ union announces that the mobilization made it possible to win the case on a certain number of claims.
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa
The compromise was found at dawn on Saturday under the terms of the work of the joint committee started at the beginning of the week in the suburbs of Kinshasa. Discussions ” stormy and tense “says a trade unionist who participated to the protest movement.
The state compensates
According to him, the state compensated for the shortfall. The updated grid of the scale provides for a little more than 2,100 dollars monthly for a lower-ranking professor, this is an increase of more than 60% after six years of loss of purchasing power, notably due to the devaluation of the Congolese franc. An emeritus professor, the most senior of the academic body, will earn $3,400 and benefit from a small annual research bonus of $320. These provisions should take effect from next year.
Regular follow-up
Another satisfaction of the professors, the government is committed to compensating for the shortfall in salary for the past six years by purchasing vehicles. They should be delivered this quarter. In addition, all civil servants, all branches combined, should see their base salary increased by 40% by the end of the month. But it is only from 2023 that the heads of works will receive bonuses which go from 300 to 600 dollars.
According to the teachers’ union, the application of the provisions announced by the government will be subject to regular monitoring by a joint committee.
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