COTE D'IVOIRE: PARAMEDICS END DEBILITATING STRIKE

UNCLAS ABIDJAN 000120 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB ECON PGOV IV SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: PARAMEDICS END DEBILITATING STRIKE AS GOCI ANNOUNCES FORUM TO ADDRESS PUBLIC SECTOR LABOR GRIEVANCES ¶1. (U) Cote d'Ivoire's "paramedics" (public health workers excluding doctors, who have pursued their own pay grievances independently) ended a 3-week old strike on January 29, following government commitments to give them two thirds of the pay increase they were demanding. This agreement, increasing the so-called paramedical allowance from CFA 20,000 to CFA 40,000 (about USD 40 to USD 80) per month has brought back to work 6,000 nurses, 2,500 midwives and 2,500 health technicians who had refused to work in public hospitals and clinics during the strike's duration. ¶2. (U) According to unconfirmed press accounts, up to sixty people died as a result of being denied treatment at government facilities, particularly university teaching hospitals in populous sections of Greater Abidjan. Public attention to the strike was high, and even family members of domestic staff of Embassy employees reported being affected (the death of one such family member has been attributed to denial of care). Negotiations involved the Ministers of Health, Labor and Finance, but finally required the personal intervention of Prime Minister Banny, who brokered the eventual compromise. ¶3. (U) Several outstanding demands remain (new allowances for risk and housing, review of current pay scales) and the implementation of the agreement hinges on payment of the increased allowances in July, retroactively back to January. The outstanding concerns of the paramedics are to be addressed at an upcoming February 15 "Social Forum" which was announced after the January 17 Cabinet meeting (presided over by President Gbagbo and attended by Prime Minister Banny). The Forum is intended to cover labor grievances throughout the public sector, such as dangerous work conditions, training, pay scales and job classification. Hooks