UNIVERSITY TEACHERS STRKE CONTINUES, PROMPTS

UNCLAS ABIDJAN 000539

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ELAB IV
SUBJECT: UNIVERSITY TEACHERS STRKE CONTINUES, PROMPTS
FESCI VIOLENCE



1. (SBU)The public university teachers, strike, which has
continued on and off for more than a year, has garered
renewed attention by the recent actions aganst it by the
thuggish, pro-Gbagbo students, unin, FESCI (septel). The
strike, led by the Natioal Coordination of Higher-Level
Teachers and Resarchers, CNEC, is primarily over higher pay.
Teahers want to receive higher compensation if they hve
advanced degrees; currently PhDs get the sam salary as
those with BAs.


2. (U) The strike,which began last year, has been suspended
severa times before resuming again after failed
negotiaions. Most recently, teachers renewed their strik
on April 13. President Gbagbo has lately take a tough
stance against the strikers, rejecting heir salary demands
in a Labor Day speech on May1, warning them against taking
"ill-timed, repeatd, and unreasonable strikes8 during a
time of crsis for the country. Although insisting that &Iam not going to jeopardize the economic balance ofthe entire
country,8 Gbagbo offered to continue egotiations with the
CNEC.


3. (U) On May 16, Gagbo relented somewhat by issuing two
decrees grnting a higher civil service status to the
univesity-level teachers and to medical doctors,
pharmacists, and dentists at university teaching hospitals.
However, the decrees did not include a new salary scale and
were rejected by CNEC members as wholly insufficient. As a
result, CNEC reaffirmed its determination to remain on strike
until the President at least issues a formal pledge of
continued negotiations on pay.


4. (U) The leadership of FESCI, which ostensibly represents
secondary and university students, has demanded that the
teachers to return to work while negotiations with the
government continue. FESCI leadership has capitalized on
legitimate student concerns that, if the strike continues,
the university year will be cancelled. (According to two
professors at the University of Cocody, the English
Department there has not even started its 2006-07 school year
while the Economics Department operated for only a month
before closing down.)


5. (SBU) Since many of the striking public university
professors have been working at private universities that
remain open, FESCI has adopted the motto, &If they don,t
teach us, they won,t teach you.8 Thus FESCI has promised
to close down all private universities. According to a
university student leader who is not a FESCI member, FESCI
has caused disruptions at Universite de l,Atlantique, the
Universite Canadienne, and the Universite Catholique.
Another private school, AGITEL, closed of its own accord
before it was attacked. The National Arts Institute, INSAC,
has also been attacked. On the morning of May 22, a private
vocational school in front of the Embassy was attacked by a
handful of FESCI students, but these were chased away by the
students. On May 21, FESCI also looted two human rights NGOs
(LIDHO and APDH)),and prevented New Forces minister Sidiki
Konate from addressing students at the "Sorbonne" (an
open-air talk shop frequented by pro-FPI youth) in downtown
Abidjan.


6. (SBU) Comment: The long-running strike may have presented
FESCI with a convenient excuse to act after seeing its
influence and clout diminish following the Ouagadougou peace
accord. The disruption prompted by the strike will likely
force the new coalition government to act, either against
FESCI or to settle the dispute with the university teachers.
So far, the Gbagbo-Soro tandem has remained silent on the
recent disturbances and FESCI looters have been unmolested by
security forces.
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