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Burundi: Cosybu Threatens to Go On Strike
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Burundi Réalités (Bujumbura)
31 October 2007
Posted to the web 31 October 2007
Bujumbura
The confederation of Burundian trade Unions (COSYBU) has addressed a letter to the Labour General Inspector indicating that they will start an unlimited strike after six working days in case the government would go on ignoring their demands.
This confederation which groups 24 trade unions deplores that prices of all commodities have risen subsequently following the much-applauded announcement of the head of state to increase salaries of civil servant of up to 34&percnt. The failure to implement this measure by the government is mainly due to repeated â-šthefts that involve top authorities".
The confederation still demands the retroactivity of the decision to increase salaries civil servants.
In a press conference that the Finance minister, Ms Clotilde Nizigama, held on Monday to proclaim the results of her visit to Washington for talks with the IMF, the World Bank and donors, she indicated that it was agreed upon that the implementation of the 34&percnt increase of salaries to civil servants will start with January 2008 with no retroactivity.
The Head of State, all the Deputy Presidents of the Republic and the Finance had before indicated that the government will pay civil servants the arrears occasioned by the increase of the salaries.
The latest announcement of the Finance Minister comes to contradict her previous stand which has become a habit for the current government.
Scepticism still looms on the fact the donors will really disburse 75 billion of francs as Ms Nizigama indicated, since the World Bank has maintained its conditions concerning the improvement of governance.
Various economic crimes have been committed over the two years that CNDD-FDD has been on power. The illicit sale of the presidential jet, Falcon 50, the recent problems with Interpetrol Company wherein the government is vainly trying move out clean.
The recent acquisition of another presidential jet plane, Antonov 30, from Sudan which has become a secret that President of the Republic can only reveal also worries the World Bank although the Finance Minister evasively indicated yesterday that â-šit is a donation" and that â-šthe government of Burundi is not going to disburse any funds whatsoever for its maintenance and repair".
This plane has however been painted in the colours of the national flag and it might incur some expenses before the issue of the certificate of navigability which demands an expertise. Donors refused to disburse the promised funds after the political situation deteriorated and the relations between the ruling party and the opposition turned sour.
The political imbroglio that followed led Ms Judy O'Connor, a high profile World Bank official, to meet leaders of political parties in September in order to ease the situation in the national assembly where the political stalemate had blocked the approval of law.
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Talks with the opposition that followed have reached a breakthrough although the head of state is now giving much time for the whole process to derail. One month after their agreement was reached; FRODEBU has not yet been given its place in the government, and the misunderstanding in the national assembly in the parliament has been revived once again.
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