In Mali, the call for a 48-hour strike by the national union of insurance, banks and financial institutions was widely followed on Thursday June 6. This spontaneous social movement follows yesterday’s arrest of Hamadoun Bah, secretary general of the banks union and deputy secretary general of the National Union of Workers of Mali (UNTM). He was indicted the day before for forgery and use of forgery against the backdrop of an internal union conflict. Hamadoun Bah is very supported by its base, but users denounce a corporatist strike.
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This morning in Bamako, it was only when wanting to withdraw money at the counter or looking to stock up on diesel that users found these services closed. The vast majority of banks and insurance companies remained closed. The minimum service is not provided in most financial agencies in the Malian capital, to the chagrin of many residents. “ For personal reasons, the bank allows itself to go on strike. This kind of strike only happens as the holidays approach. Eventually it starts to become abuse ! », notes one of them.
“ The bank is the place where we keep our money. So, it’s not at all easy to learn that the banks are going on strike. It’s not easy at all “, she says. “ These are two unions, which do not agree on an office issue, it is up to them to manage this problem. It is not up to the people to pay the price. We don’t agree with that », continues a last one.
A very rare walkout
The country’s largest oil distribution companies are also closed. This type of walkout has been extremely rare since 4 years ago and the military took power. The transition period saw a sort of decline in social protest.
And although the national union of banks and insurance justifies this strike by its support for Hamadoun Bah by denouncing his arrest as “ an obstacle to freedom of association “. The union is also demanding his immediate release. The organization affirms that the defense of all workers is at the heart of its concerns and its struggles.
Read alsoMali: call for strike to protest against the arrest of an important union leader