An indefinite strike is looming in Chad amid a standoff between the management of logistics operator Chadian Handling Company (SMT) and trade unions.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Commerce, the Alliance of Chadian Trade Unions and Economic Operators Organizations (ASOET) has threatened to initiate an indefinite strike starting December 30.
The ASOET accuses SMT of failing to honour its commitments since its establishment in 2006 and has vowed to proceed with the indefinite strike.
Established in 2006, SMT is tasked with handling, moving and unloading goods. These paid services also include the administrative and technical management of logistics.
A 2020 agreement with the government set handling fees at 233,750 CFA francs (about US$371) for 40-foot containers and 170,000 CFA francs for 20-foot containers.
However, ASOET claims that SMT imposes deductions on goods “without providing any real services.”
In its letter dated December 26, ASOET condemned SMT’s services and demanded its suspension along with the termination of the 2020 agreement.
“Since its creation in 2006, SMT has never respected the commitments outlined in the agreement signed with the government. This is why the government has repeatedly suspended and terminated various agreements with it,” ASOET General Coordinator Moussa Adoum Moussa said in the letter.
He added: “If SMT is not suspended, all economic operators who are ASOET members will go on an indefinite strike starting Monday, December 30, 2024.”
In response to the letter, Minister of Commerce Matthieu Guibolofanga has ordered an on-site investigation.
CA/te/sf/lb/jn/APA