LABOR UNIONS AND STUDENT CLASHES: TENSION ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000381

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2018
TAGS: PREL PGO ELAB KHUM SL
SUBJECT: LABOR UNIONS AND STUDENT CLASHES: TENSION ON
UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES

Classified By: Ambassador June Carter Perry for reasons 1.4(b/d)


1. (U) Summary: On July 9, protests by the University of
Sierra Leone Junior Workers, Union at Freetown campuses
interrupted the final examination period. The primary cause
of the strike, which generally occurs once a year, was to
protest the failure of the government and universities to
provide the workers with the additional wages and allowances
promised to them in 2005. These protests, coupled with
politically-motivated violence between student groups at
Fourah Bay College in late May, indicate that college
campuses are continuing the historical trend of playing host
to unrest in Sierra Leone. End Summary.

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"ANNUAL" STRIKE RESULTS IN VIOLENCE
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2. (U) The July 9 protests, which included some violence,
were primarily caused by the payment in arrears of a 30%
increase in basic pay and leave, first promised to the Union
in March 2005 by the Ministry of Education and universities.
Neither party has been able to meet their obligations under
the 2005 agreement, resulting in at least one Union protest
every year since. As of July 26 press reporting, the
Ministry of Education intervened to pay their portion to the
workers, but the universities still claim an inability to
pay.


3. (C) While the protest has become an annual "event," this
year's occurrence deviates from the previous norm due to
enhanced strategizing and an escalation in violence. The
junior workers' strike was coordinated this year to
significantly impact the major campuses in Freetown during
the examination period. At the Milton Margai College of
Education campus in Goderich, clashes between junior workers
and students occurred when the workers vandalized classrooms
and attempted to prevent students from taking exams. At the
Njala University campus in New England, junior workers
blocking the entrance delayed the start of final examinations
and hampered normal university operations. At Fourah Bay
College, approximately 100 junior workers blocked the
administrative building and threw garbage. In all three
instances, the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) were required to
bring the situations under control, resulting in 16 arrests.

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CAMPUSES ACCUSTOMED TO CONFLICT
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3. (U) In a previous round of campus upheaval, student groups
contesting campus leadership positions clashed at Fourah Bay
College in late May. The violence between student groups,
linked to secret campus organizations, began during a
candidates' forum. Repeated clashes between rival
organizations involving makeshift weapons followed this
event, requiring a robust intervention. The Vice Chancellor
of the University of Sierra Leone called in the SLP and
imposed a 7 p.m. campus curfew. Many students left campus,
leading to rumors that the college had been closed. In
reality, most students decided to leave campus to avoid being
caught in the fray.


4. (C) The role of radical campus politics and government
suppression is well-documented in the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission's report on the causes of the
1991-2002 conflict. The most recent clash related to campus
politics is isolated from the national political scene, but
popular reporting still cautions against the potential
political and social spillover of such events. The latest
have caught the attention of Human Rights Commissioner
Jamesina King, and the Commission seeks support in engaging
the college campuses through human rights and nonviolence
sensitization programs.

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COMMENT
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5. (C) Though the union protests and campus politics clashes
are separate issues, general consensus is that the resultant
tension creates an atmosphere with greater potential for
violence. Both represent areas of needed action for the
government: paying promised wages to employees; and targeting
the youth population for violence prevention programs. The
former, in particular, is an area of great concern. Though
the Koroma administration has been more successful than the
past government in terms of regularly paying its civil
service, rising prices and general economic insecurity means
that any mis-step or budget shortfall will be stridently

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protested, with potentially combustible effects. End Comment.

PERRY