UNION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS REMAIN ON STRIKE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000560 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/24/2016 TAGS: ELAB PGOV ECON EFIN IV SUBJECT: UNION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS REMAIN ON STRIKE REF: A) ABIDJAN 428 B) ABIDJAN 549 Classified By: ECONOFF ERFANA DAR FOR REASON 1.4 (B AND D) ¶1. (U) Summary: The National University Teachers' Union (Coordination Nationale des Enseignants du Superieur et des Chercheurs, CNEC) has been on strike since March 14, with the exception of a two-week truce from April 28 through May 12 while the union met with members of the Prime Minister's office. As those discussions have failed and the Prime Minister refuses to meet with CNEC, the union has voted to continue the strike until its salary demands are met at least in part. The strike has had a negative impact on the academic year and may delay the annual Baccalaureate exam for secondary students, which members of CNEC are expected to administer and grade, in July. Without the "Bac," students cannot enroll in universities here. End summary. ¶2. (U) Background: On May 16, EconOff and Econ FSN met with CNEC leaders Dr. Flavien Traore and Dr. Mema Fatoumata to discuss the causes of the strike, the status of the current negotiations, the impact of the strike on the academic year and CNEC's demands. CNEC was created ten months ago and represents nearly 80 percent of university teachers in Cote d,Ivoire. It does not have a political affiliation. CNEC is the largest of three university professor unions. The strike initially began March 14, 2006 and continued for six weeks. On April 28, the strike was suspended following mediation by Prime Minister Banny and President Gbagbo. On May 12, CNEC voted to break off the truce and continue strike action, alleging that the successive working sessions at the Prime Minister's office had not yielded the expected results and the seniority of the union's interlocutors had declined from the level of Secretary General to that of technical advisor. ¶3. (U) Current Reaction to Past Non-action: CNEC members are concerned about low wages, which range from USD 600 per month for an assistant lecturer to USD 1,500 per month for a full professor. The university teachers have not had a significant salary increase in the last twenty years. They are now demanding salaries of USD 4,000 per month for an assistant lecturer up to USD 8,000 per month for a full professor. The union is also seeking an increase in research bonuses and additional housing allowances. ¶4. (U) Government response: In response to these demands, Minister of Labor Hubert Oulaye threatened to suspend the wages of the striking professors. While subtracting the wages of the days that the striking professors did not teach is legal, complete suspension of wages is against Ivorian law. In any event, Prime Minister Banny intervened and wages have continued to be paid. Representatives of the Prime Minister's office and CNEC debated on &the negotiation framework8 through a two-week truce from April 28 to May 12. Since talks with the Prime Minister's office did not lead to concrete results, CNEC requested the Prime Minister himself lead discussions. However, the Prime Minister has publicly stated that he will not meet with them because his immediate and consuming priorities are disarmament, identification and the roadmap to elections, and that he believes CNEC is making these intense demands now to distract him from those priorities. Dr. Traore and Dr. Fatoumata were adamant that CNEC will continue the strike until the Prime Minister's office meets their demands or negotiates a compromise. ¶5. (U) Impact on the academic environment: CNEC is ready to utilize the summer recess to make up the academic hours lost due to the strike if an acceptable solution to their demands is found. As university professors are also in charge of administering and grading the Baccalaureate exam which will be held in July, it is likely that this strike will additionally affect secondary students scheduled to take the exam. Without the Bac, students cannot enroll in universities here. ¶6. (C) Comment: The complaints by both secondary (ref B) and university teachers seem to be motivated by several factors: the sense that now is the time to press for long-standing demands for increases in salaries, allowances, and subsidies, the creation of a new, more aggressive union in CNEC, and possibly, as Banny has intimated, politically motivated attempts to distract him from the peace process. Banny has, in fact, little room for maneuver in responding to these union demands since he lacks the cash to pay off the teachers (and to a certain extent at least, the private school owners, ref B) and is reluctant to make commitments on future payments which the government cannot afford. If the Bac examinations are significantly delayed and the universities remain closed, it is likely that there will be a strong negative reaction on the part of students and perhaps their parents. Already, youth militia leaders have threatened that university professors must resume teaching or ABIDJAN 00000560 002 OF 002 face severe consequences. Adding out-of-school students to out-of-work youth will not contribute to social stability here. Hooks