COTE D'IVOIRE: UNION OF PUBLIC SECTOR HEALTH

UNCLAS ABIDJAN 000590

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB PGOV ECON EFIN IV
SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: UNION OF PUBLIC SECTOR HEALTH
PERSONNEL THREATEN STRIKE

REF: A) ABIDJAN 560 B) ABIDJAN 438 C) ABIDJAN 333


1. (U) On May 31, the union of senior public sector health
personnel, Syndicat National des Cadres Superieurs de la
Sante de Cote d,Ivoire (SYNACASS-CI),threatened to go on
strike on June 15 if their demands regarding salary and rank
within the civil service are not met. The SYNACASS-CI
consists of public sector pharmacists, doctors, dentists,
veterinarians and medical teaching faculty. The 2,800
SYNACASS-CI members have multiple grievances: the failure of
the government to implement a promised reclassification of
public sector health doctors at a higher rank within the
civil service, which was agreed to by the Council of
Ministers on October 20, 2005; the lack of an upward revision
of base salaries for health personnel; the continuation of
the civil service entry test which they want eliminated; the
lack of compensation for doctors who were displaced by the
conflict or were victims of the war; and the failure to
appoint more medical doctors to senior positions at
government institutions having to do with human and animal
health.


2. (U) Speaking at a press conference, the leader of the
SYNACASSI-CI, Dr. Magloire Amichia, denounced the
government's unwillingness to address these issues, which
have been pending for three years. After the union launched
a one-day strike for settlement of the same list of demands,
the government agreed to meet with union officials in
December 2003. Since then, SYNACASSI-CI has held
negotiations with successive health ministers and signed a
protocol agreement with the government of Cote d'Ivoire to
change the health system. To date none of the promised
changes have been implemented.


3. (SBU) Comment: This latest threat of yet another strike
comes at a time when the Ivoirian government is dealing with
multiple unhappy labor organizations (Reftels A, B, and C).
Prime Minister Banny has stated that he views these strikes
as "distractions" from the important work at hand: DDR,
reunification of the country, identification, voter
registration and election preparation. Banny wants public
calm and support for his government so he can move forward
with the peace process. He cannot afford to allow multiple
public sector employees, including health workers, teachers,
and university professors, to simultaneously go on strike and
disrupt daily life. As a result, the labor unions see the
Prime Minister as vulnerable and believe that now is the time
to press for concessions from the government. Given the
government's financial woes, however, it is unlikely that
Banny will be able to offer much in the way of immediate
compensation. End Comment
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