COTE D'IVOIRE: UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS RESTART

UNCLAS ABIDJAN 000633 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB PGOV ECON EFIN IV SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS RESTART UNLIMITED STRIKE REF: A) ABIDJAN 589 B) ABIDJAN 616 ¶1. (U) The group of university professors known as Coordination Nationale des Enseignants du Superieur et des Chercheurs (CNEC) has again commenced an unlimited strike after a two-week truce in which it considered the options put forth by the Council of Ministers (ref A). On June 9, the members of CNEC voted against the offered research allowances and extended retirement conditions. The leader of CNEC, Dr. Flavien Traore, acknowledged the government's effort but stated that what was offered didn't meet CNEC's most important demands, a wage and housing allowance increase. Traore added that during the two-week truce, CNEC had attempted to negotiate for these increases, but the government refused to include them in its final offer. ¶2. (U) Both university and secondary school students will be effected by the strike. It is likely too late in the university academic year to recover time lost in the strikes and the year may therefore have to be repeated by students. University professors also administer the high school exit/university entrance exam, the baccalaureat (bac), scheduled for August. If the strike is still in place at that time, students will be unable to proceed to university. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: The resumption of the strike seems certain to generate considerable ill will among students and their parents, who will raise the pressure on both professors and the Prime Minister to reach a settlement. The rising frustration level will also create ready opportunities for the thuggish student association, FESCI (ref B),to try to undermine the Prime Minister by going back out on the streets in protest. Valle Valle