At the end of a final round of negotiations on Tuesday, the supervisory authority and social partners under the Ministry of Transport, Merchant Navy and the Sea, under the leadership of Minister Dieudonné Loïc Ndinga Moudouma, finally agreed on a number of points of divergence that have angered the agents and caused a paralysis of the various activities of this ministerial department since July 16, 2024. Work is therefore resuming but the agents remain on a war footing and have granted the supervisory authority until September 25 to implement the resolutions resulting from the negotiations.
Among the resolutions, subject of the agreement initialed by the parties: the payment of the 7th month bonus, the payment of arrears of the various bonuses, including those related to COVID; as well as the revision of the texts relating to the organization and operation of the various branches of the Ministry of Transport, Merchant Navy and the Sea, the obsolescence of which has been recognized by all.
“Gabonese people expect tangible changes, not just words. I do not want to point the finger at any specific entity, but it was necessary to pause for a paradigm shift; because you will be judged on your skills and what you produce. We are at the beginning of this transition, and it is crucial not to miss this opportunity to restore and improve our structures; including the rewriting of texts that are for many of them obsolete, stagnating for 20 years for example in the transport sector”deplored the supervising minister.
Eugénie Maramba, spokesperson for the National Union of Administrative Agents, Technicians and Drivers (SYNATEC) at SOGATRA, who reported on the suspension of the strike, expressed her satisfaction with the outcome of the discussions with the supervisory authority. “We are satisfied with the minister’s approach, because we have worked hard to present the concerns of our administrations. For example, at the General Directorate of Land Transport (DGTT), we raised the issue of unpaid bonuses, as at SOGATRA which we hope will experience a more stable future. We also discussed the need for plots of land for the construction of headquarters to serve a more efficient administration. The problem of the lack of liaison and service vehicles was also addressed.”she rejoiced.
The union coalition has finally brought back to the forefront certain concerns for which the agents have legitimate expectations in the short and medium term, namely: the payment of performance bonuses, the relaxation of the conditions of entry to the Preparatory School for Administrative Careers (EPCA) for agents of the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy (DGMM).
The president of SYNATEC, Cyrille Gaston Ndoudi Lédoumou, did not fail to insist on the fact that “the social partners and all agents expect concrete actions by the end of September and that the resumption of the strike would be inevitable in the event of non-compliance with the commitments made, particularly concerning the payment of salary arrears and bonuses linked to Covid-19”he hammered home.
Elliott Ana Marvel
Proposed by Tryphène Lembah and Frida Dodo
2024-08-21 13:38:19
#Return #serenity #reprieve #September
