Niger: Labor Unions Strike; Inter-Nigerien Political

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 001008 DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA AND DRL; PLS PASS TO USAID/AFR/W ACCRA FOR USAID/WA PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB PGOV KDEM SOCI PHUM NG SUBJECT: Niger: Labor Unions Strike; Inter-Nigerien Political Dialogue Continues Amid GON's Criticism Ref: a) Niamey 1005 b) Niamey 556 c) Niamey 225 d) Niamey 01004 ¶1. Summary: The Inter-Union of Nigerien Workers (ITN) observed a strike on December 22 to demand salary and benefit increases and to press the Government of Niger (GON) to implement previous agreements signed. During a press conference, President Tandja criticized the Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) action with regard to the situation in Niger. Niger's Opposition declared the end of President Tandja's term in office and labeled his continuation "illegitimate." End summary. Unions Call Strike -------------- ¶2. The Inter-Union of Nigerien Workers (ITN),a coalition of the country's seven trade union confederations, called a general strike for December 22 to press the GON to address the following claims: the implementation of the March 2009 agreement between the GON and labor unions (ref C); a 50 percent increase on salaries and pensions; a 50 percent reduction of income tax on salaries and benefits; job opportunities for an increasing number of unemployed young graduates; a reduction on fuel prices; and a stoppage of GON harassment of civil service organizations and private sector workers. The response to the strike ranged from "diversely followed" to "lukewarm," as some union members told Embassy staff. Public sector offices were staffed lightly, as were several public schools. Markets and other private businesses, however, remained open, and taxis and other public transportation vehicles ran as normal. While private media reported that the strike had been observed partially, unionists called it "satisfactory." Djibrilla Idrissa, Secretary for the Democratic Confederation of Nigerien Workers (CDTN) stated that the strike was "well followed overall, with some variations depending on the sector of activity." ¶3. There were reports that on the evening of December 21 an inter-ministerial committee led by the Ministry of Labor and Public Services tried in vain to convince ITN leaders to call off the strike. Union leaders said that the talks would continue. In an interview on Radio France International (RFI),Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson Moctar Kassoum said, "At face value these appear to be normal social claims...(but) it (the strike) is a purely political act directed by desperate politicians...(the day of the strike) has not been chosen at random." (Note: December 22 would have marked the end of President Tandja's term of office under the 1999 constitution, which was superseded by the new constitution adopted through the August 4 referendum. End note.) President Tandja Slams ECOWAS -------------- ¶4. On December 20, President Tandja, who had remained silent following the recent ECOWAS and EU sanctions on Niger, strongly criticized the West African body during a press conference held in Diffa after the Republic Day festivities. The President, who spoke in Hausa, said, "We joined the West African Community in order to promote economic, social and cultural development...Thirty years after that, this has not allowed us to build a single kilometer of paved road or power line; to stay within (ECOWAS) seems useless...If we have enough, couldn't we leave it?" He further criticized the insertion within ECOWAS agreements of "futile clauses copied from White people." He also thought that the ECOWAS text, ratified by Niger, and which does not allow states to modify their constitutional provisions six months before an election without prior political consensus, represented "an impediment for independent states." Inter-Nigerien Political Dialogue Continues, Stalls -------------- -------------- ¶5. The INPD, which opened on December 21 (ref A),started its second day, with reports of difficulties in adopting an agenda due to clear-cut differences between the GON and the Opposition. Abdouramane Bio, a student leader and member of the pro-Tandja Patriotic Movement for the Reshaping of the Republic (MPRR),said, "Based on what we heard from the Prime Minister (Ali Badjo Gamatie) and the Mediator (retired General and former Nigerian head of state Abdusalami Abubakar),if all negotiators are here in good faith and for the general interest, we will achieve something positive. But I deplore the Opposition's behavior when its members declined to stand for the group photo." Marou Amadou, a civil society leader and member of the Opposition Coordination of Forces for Democracy and the Republic (CFDR) stated that, "This morning, instead of the chairman of the government delegation, the head of the Patriotic Movement for Peace and Development, was allowed to speak on behalf of the government...The (country's) problems started with violations of the law, but they can be solved if we return within the law, NIAMEY 00001008 002 OF 002 i.e., the constitution of the Fifth Republic or any similar consensus text...the starting point (for negotiations) should be building a consensus." Opposition Declares the End of President Tandja's Term -------------- -------------- ¶6. On December 22, the CFDR issued a statement denouncing President Tandja's will to "cling to and stay forever in power" to preserve the business interests of his family and clan. In the context of the ECOWAS mediation of the INPD, the CFDR thought that it was clear that the GON was not willing to negotiate, especially when its Spokesperson publicly stated that the new constitution and deriving institutions were "irreversible assets." The Opposition declared, "Today, December 22, Tandja's term as President of Niger has ended...He has no legitimacy or legality." The CFDR urged its supporters to stand by and respond to impending calls from their coalition. Comment -------------- ¶7. In July 2009, the ITN, a member of the CFDR, posed the same grievances (ref B) regarding the implementation of the March 2009 agreement. By targeting salary and collective bargaining issues, the ITN seeks to avoid charges that its grounds for a strike are political, and hence illegitimate. On various occasions the GON filed lawsuits before the court, which declared the strikes proposed by ITN to be illegal as they involved political rather than labor issues. ¶8. While the majority of Nigeriens had welcomed the political dialogue with measured optimism and hope, the President's recent statements (detailed in ref d) on December 15, the launching of the campaign for local elections; December 17, his Republic Day address; and December 20, his press conference, may hamper the ongoing inter-Nigerien talks. On December 22, the Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson told an international radio station that it was the Opposition, not the government, that requested negotiations; he indicated that the government would be there to hear what the Opposition had to say. He also stated that the new constitution and related elections were "non-negotiable." End comment. ALLEN