EI
*EI Africa Regional Office**Mission Report* *Hunger Strike of union leaders in Gabon suspended* ** /Fear of a social explosion/ ** **While renewing my passport in Libreville during the period 15th to 23th September 2011, I was invited to a meeting which was organized by the leaders of CONASYSED ''Convention Nationale des Syndicats du Secteur Education and SENA'' in the afternoon of Tuesday, 20th September 20 at the head office of the SENA (Syndicat de l'Education Nationale).
**Indeed, I participated in the meeting of which I was informed of the same day. The objective of the meeting was to evaluate the impact of the indefinite hunger strike they began on 3^rd September in order to claim the payment of their salaries suspended by the Ministry of the Education nine months ago. More than the evaluation of the impact of the hunger strike, they equally proceeded to criticize themselves on their behaviors during the period, which was observed with the same enthusiasm by all for the call, notably the General Secretaries of the SENA, Fridolin Mvé Messa and SAEG (Syndicat Autonome des Enseignants Gabonais), Simon Ndong Edzo; behaviors which were condemned by other leaders because it could hinder a decision which was nevertheless taken democratically.
For the needs of the present report and for a better understanding of the stages of the crisis leading to the hunger strike, and to its temporary outcome on 18th September (when departing Gabon on 23rd September, there was a lot of argument between the services of the Prime Minister and those of the Minister of the Education, that the payment of the salaries of the strikers was far from being guaranteed).Following are the essential stages of the conflict.
***In August 2008*, an exhaustive analysis of the problems teachers were confronted with in Gabon was done by all the unions in the Education sector.From that analysis it should be essentially noted that all these problems was proceeded in reality of the unfulfilled promises by successive Governments for about fifteen years ago.At the end of these works, almost all the unions in Education - grouped within the convention known as ''Convention Nationale des Syndicats du Secteur Education (CONASYSED)'' -- sent a petition to the Government, citing common claims made essentially of the recurrent points related to the worsening living and working conditions of teachers and the negative consequences on the Gabonese educational system.
While the CONASYSED expected that the Government accepts to examine with its representatives the Trade Unions Proposals during the period of school vacation, it is rather by silence and contempt of not responding to the request for negotiations that unfortunately led to a long strike stating on 4^th October 2008, which lasted three (3) months.At the end of some long negotiations with the government, they thus signed on *13th January 2009* in the presence of the late President El Hadj Omar BONGO ONDIMBA, a detailed draft Agreement of the positions defended by the parties and the suited solutions to the requests of the unions.The continuous violations of the calendar of execution of the said agreement, followed by an Additional Act of protocol agreed (jointly signed on 14^th December 2009 between the current Government and the CONASYSED) is the origin of multiple strikes organized regularly since (3) years ago -- until today.
*The reasons of the hunger strike.*In fact, the non observance of the provisions of the Draft Agreement and its Additional Act for some months gave rise to the bad mood of teachers and other education personnel including teachers recruited from abroad to augment the teaching force, in view of the shortage and grouped within the SECEG, and to whom the exercise of the right of strike is not clearly codified in Gabon. On 2^nd July 2010 a follow-up committee -- comprising of representatives of the government and CONASYSED meeting was held, to report on actions taken in accordance with the previous commitment of the government.
The CONASYSED noticed that very few things were done.After that, the Minister of the National Education, Mr. Séraphin Moundounga, solely interrupted the dialog with the unions and stopped the negotiations with the Unions and put an end to the principle of the collective bargain. It was therefore natural that from 5^th to 16^th October 2010, during the reopening of school for classes, the CONASYSED and the SECEG undertook a warning strike, in order to simply obtain from the government the application of the signed Agreements. The Government did not respond and the works of Follow up Committee was frozen. This persisted until 10^th April 2011.
On January 25, 2011, the Minister of National Education ordered the suspension of salaries of the leaders of CONASYSED, on a misleading and illegal ground that they did not observe the legal minimum requirements when going on strike.That decision was followed on 17th and 18th February 2011 by the meeting of the discipline board where the nine (9) leaders of CONASYSED were summoned on the ground that they did not observe the minister's circular enjoining them on the violation of article 18/92 of the law on the requirement of a minimum service in the public sector.
These decisions of the Minister brought about misunderstanding and anger in the unions realizing how wrongly or without any basis they were cheated on by a Minister not publicly proving his will to reduce the unions to silence by all means.That triggered another strike early April 2011.The basis is to claim the payment of the suspended salaries, including the arrears from 25 January.The government, after internal as well as external pressures coming in, began explaining itself, accepting to pay the salaries and arrears of teachers' members of SECEG (the expatriates) that were threatened to be sent back to their respective countries of origin because they did not take part in the strike organised on 11 April.
Desperate and despite calls to remain calm and the call for dialogue launched by the partners of the schools, of which the Federation of Student's Parents and civil organizations, the government remained deaf.It was this deafness and the arrogance of the Minister Moundounga that made the nine (9) leaders of CONASYSED to start an indefinite hunger strike.
*Temporary solution *Since the beginning of the hunger strike of with the chosen site - the cathedral of Libreville (the said strikers wanted to gather themselves in a place where they will be assured that Police could not violate in tryingto divide them or to drive them to a health care center in case of degradation of their health -- as was the case of another Hunger striker some months ago, calling for the departure of the French troops -- military officers - assigned to Gabon more than 50 years ago), the Archbishop of Libreville undertook to mediate between the CONASYSED and the government.It is at the end of his mediation that the government has on 18 September 2011, made public an official statement in which he intimated to restore the suspended salaries with effect from 25^th January.The same day, *the hunger strike was suspended*.
** *Conclusion *The CONASYSED considers that Gabonese authorities, through innumerable violations of the Constitution, laws, regulations, recommendations and international conventions adopted and/or ratified, poorly hide their will to stop union in the claim of their rights; and in so doing would confiscate forever all the basic liberties and alienate definitively the human and union rights in Gabon.They are therefore calling for vigilance and firmness of the international community, if they don't want to see the country escalating into violence that no one can foresee the nature, length and gravity.
For our part, we suggest that *Education International* and its affiliates sensitize the international community and the financial partners of Gabon like France, the institutions of the United Nations, European Union and the African Union to bring their attention to the cases of violations of human rights and denial of democratic principles without which the Country can adopt a civil, political and military violence.
In fact, when one counts the violation of freedom and union rights; the attacks and the scarcely veiled threats of the government against the organizations and personalities of the civil workers calling for honest and transparent elections; the abolition of political parties and curtailing press freedom; the manipulations of electoral register, *there is a reason to fear a social explosion *which direct effects could be devastating faced with a system that does not hesitate use excessive police and military force.
** ** *Samuel Ngoua Ngou* Accra, 28th September 2011. Education International Internationale de l'Éducation Internacional de la Educación *EI Africa Regional Office* 24 Tanbu Street - East Legon *|* P.O Box DTD 216 *|* Madina, Accra -GhanaTel.: + 233 302 501 200 *|* Fax: +233 302 506 681 *|* http://www.ei-ie.org <http://www.ei-ie.org/>
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