Just over 1,500 workers in the general budget department of the Congolese finance ministry are starting the second week of their strike this Monday, May 30. They do not intend to lift their movement as long as the authorities do not accede to their grievances. Their strike is considered illegal by the authorities.
With our correspondent in Brazzaville, Loicia Martial
Offices closed, corridors empty, mail and other files blocked: activities are disrupted in the departments under the Directorate General of the Budget. Negotiations between the authorities and the strikers are at a standstill. Workers are not ready to return to work. The 1,500 employees are demanding the payment of arrears of bonuses since 2017 and the definitive cessation of activities by those who have exercised their rights to retirement, but still hold positions of responsibility.
” The strike continues because the administration observes a status quo until then. Given that our bonuses are estimated at several million FCFA, we proposed to the administration to make a gesture and then to proceed with the immediate cessation (of activities) by the retired agents. But they flouted and rejected our proposals en bloc. We maintain the strike », said with force Rommel Embala Guempio, their union representative.
This strike is the second of its kind in six months. Contacted Sunday evening by RFI, a government source described the movement as illegal. “ There was no notice and the strikers presented no specifications “, she explained.
According to the same source, the premiums claimed by budget officers include the social debt that the government must settle under the program concluded with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).