The Chadian government has followed through on its threat to withhold the salaries of teachers participating in an ongoing strike.
Teachers in N’Djamena and several other provinces who joined the industrial action at the call of their union have had their February wages suspended.
In a statement issued on February 22, Minister of National Education Dr. Aboubacar Assidick Tchoroma warned that Article 15 of Law No. 32 of 2007 governing the right to strike would be enforced. The provision allows the government to deduct pay for days not worked.
Abdelkader Djibia, Secretary-General of the Teachers’ Union branch in N’Djamena, denounced the move as “extreme.”
“This is a drastic measure and should have been used only as a last resort. What the government has done will further aggravate the situation. It has chosen confrontation,” he said in reaction to the salary suspension.
Since February 16, public schools in N’Djamena and several other cities across Chad have been brought to a standstill following a strike call issued by provincial branches of the Teachers’ Union. The teachers are demanding the implementation of Decree No. 2850, which provides for an increase in their allowances.
The government has proposed a negotiation timetable set to conclude on April 3, a proposal rejected by the union.
The standoff remains unresolved.
CA/sf/lb/as/APA