TEACHERS APPROACH STRIKE DEADLINE

UNCLAS CONAKRY 000690

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB PGOV ASEC GV
SUBJECT: TEACHERS APPROACH STRIKE DEADLINE

REF: A. CONAKRY 0684

B. CONAKRY 0274


1. (SBU) Elhadj Sy Savane, the deputy secretary general of
Guinea's teachers' union (FSPE-SLECG),told POL LES that the
union will be meeting throughout the day on November 10 in
order to decide whether or not to resume a nationwide labor
strike that was suspended in June (reftel A). Savane
initially said that the union would not meet with any
government representatives, including the prime minister,
because "there was nothing to negotiate." He pointed out
that the GoG had already signed a negotiated agreement in
June, but failed to implement it. Later in the day, Savane
said that the union had agreed to meet with Prime Minister
Souare to avoid appearing as if union representatives are
opposed to dialogue with the government.


2. (SBU) When asked about the World Bank's recent
announcement of a $10 million grant to the GoG, which is
intended to help the GoG pay teacher salaries and other
education sector expenses, Savane said that the grant is
irrelevant. According to Savane, the grant has nothing to do
with the union's grievances. He pointed out that the World
Bank's disbursement procedures would take some time and that
the teachers cannot afford to wait for the grant to be
released before receiving their salaries. Other union
contacts have told Embassy staff that the grant is only a
short-term fix to the salary problem, and that the funding
would not be available in future years.

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COMMENT
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3. (SBU) The World Bank grant should address most of the
union's outstanding immediate economic demands, although the
money may not be released as quickly as the GoG and the union
would like. Regardless, the union may be considering a
strike in order to capitalize on the recent civil unrest to
advance a broader political agenda. In past meetings with
Poloff, Savane has been a passionate advocate for change,
shrugging off the possibility of violence as an unfortunate,
but necessary risk. As the union was preparing for a strike
in the aftermath of the military mutiny in June, he told
Poloff "this whole situation is explosive, whether our strike
provides the spark, or something else does, that is not our
responsibility." The teachers' union has repeatedly claimed
credit for "starting things off" in 2006, saying that it took
the initiative to spark action, and that the strikes in 2007
came about because the other labor unions built upon the
momentum the teachers had already established (reftel B).


4. (SBU) Where other labor unions have been more cautious in
recent months, the teachers' union is one of the few that has
pushed the government to respond. Students are likely to
sympathize with the teachers and be frustrated with the GoG's
continued failure to satisfy their demands. The union's
recently added demand to further reduce the price of fuel may
help attract widespread popular support. END COMMENT.
RASPOLIC