Chad: Public servant strike in September 2015, especially in the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization; organizing union, duration, demands and development; government response, including arrests (September 2015-March 2016)

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

Information specific to the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (ministère de l'Administration du territoire et de la Décentralisation) could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. However, the following information may be useful.

1. Ministries Related to Territorial Administration

The Chadian news site Tchad News published a [translation] "complete list of the members of the new government" of Chad, dated 24 August 2015; the list was made following a ministerial shuffle on 23 August 2015 (Tchad News 24 Aug. 2015). The list includes the Ministry of [translation] "Territorial Administration" (ministère de l'Administration du territoire) and the Ministry of "Land Use, Urban Planning and Housing" (ministère de l'Aménagement du Territoire, de l'Urbanisme et de l'Habitat) (ibid.).

2. Public Servant Strike in September 2015

On 12 September 2015, the Union of Trade Unions of Chad (Union des syndicats du Tchad, UST) published a news release reporting a three-day [translation] "strike warning" in the public sector; the news release does not indicate the start date of the strike, but asks public servants to resume work on 14 September 2015 (UST 12 Sept. 2015). In that same news release, the UST states that the strike [translation] "was followed very well across the country" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

On 15 September 2015, the UST published another news release detailing union demands; it acted as [translation] "notification of a strike from 15 to 18 September 2015" and it indicated that "after that, a three-day renewable strike would be carried out across the country as of 29 September 2015" (ibid. 15 sept. 2015). The demands concerned, among other things, the payment of wages, retirees' pensions, and allowances (ibid.). Furthermore, this UST news release mentions the [translation] "situation that prevails in the Ministry of Land Use," and "asks the government to return rights to workers" (ibid.). Earlier in August 2015, the president of the Collective of Officers and Managers of the Ministry of Land Use, Urban Planning and Housing (Collectif des agents et cadres du ministère de l'Aménagement du territoire, de l'Urbanisme et de l'Habitat, MATUH), Datolde Pierre, stated in a news release called [translation] "Crisis in the Ministry of Land Use" [1], that there had been "arbitrary and unjust withdrawal of 35 percent of incentive earnings … a decision causing grief to all public servants and other contractual officers of MATUH;" "extreme politicization of MATUH's administration," including "clientelism and politically-motivated appointments to positions of responsibility;" and inequitable division of lands, challenged by the managers and officers of MATUH (Collectif des agents et cadres du MATUH 24 Aug. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the Journal du Tchad, the UST [translation] "decided to walk out on Wednesday, 30 September 2015, for three days in a row" (29 Sept. 2015). Cited by Afrique Actualité, [translation] "a general information site on Africa, with a perspective on the rest of the world," whose headquarters are located in Paris (Afrique Actualité n.d.), the Vice-President of UST, Younous Mahadjir [also spelled Youssouf Madjir], stated that the conflict was a result of "the government's attempt to eliminate benefits in the administration" (ibid. 15 Oct. 2015). Jeune Afrique reports that the purpose of this threeday strike was, [translation] "among other things, [to] warn the government against any other decision regarding [the] interests" of public servants (Jeune Afrique 30 Sept. 2015). The two sources also mention that the strike took place during a salary freeze (ibid.) or the non-payment of wages (Afrique Actualité 15 Oct. 2015).

To explain the reasons for the strike, the Vice-President of the UST stated that

[translation]

public servants continue to experience delays in salary payment, community teachers' subsidies are not being paid, there is no funding in the country's hospitals, the social situation is unbearable, teachers' incentives are not being paid and the high cost of living continues. (quoted in Journal du Tchad 29 Sept. 2015)

On 2 October 2015, in a news release from the Enough Is Enough (Trop c'est trop) coalition, [translation] "a coalition of civil society organizations [that] … protest against the excesses and abuses [of] power" [2] (DW 19 Nov. 2014), the spokesperson Céline Narmadji stated that

[translation]

[t]o counter the union's actions, the minister of Public Service made a repressive declaration that public servants are required to go to work and that a check will be carried out to penalize any person who does not report to their job. (Trop c'est trop 2 Oct. 2015)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The Tchadanthropus, an online Chadian and African news forum, states that the call to strike launched by the UST was [translation] "suspended" following an interview with the minister of Public Service, Work and Employment, Baba Mocktar [Abderamane Mouctar Mahamat] on 5 October (7 Oct. 2015). Corroborating information or further information on the development of the strike, the government's response or the arrests of union officials or public servants could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The collective's news release was found on the blog of Makaila Nguebla, a Chadian journalist and opponent of the government of Idriss Déby (RFI 15 July 2013).

[2] The UST was part of the Trop c'est trop coalition but ended its participation in July 2015 (Al Wihda 12 Aug. 2015).

References

Afrique Actualité. 15 October 2015. Fernand Fexaude. "Tchad : avis de tempête sociale." [Accessed 15 Mar. 2016]

_____. N.d. "Qui sommes-nous ?" [Accessed 18 Mar. 2016]

Al Wihda. 12 August 2015. Céline Narmadji. "Tchad : La coalition 'Trop c'est trop' s'indigne contre des 'manoeuvres dilatoires'." [Accessed 23 Mar. 2016]

Collectif des agents et cadres du ministère de l'Aménagement du territoire, de l'Urbanisme et de l'Habitat (MATUH). 24 August 2015. Datolde Pierre. "Crise au ministère de l'Aménagement du territoire." [Accessed 16 Mar. 2016]

Deutsche Welle (DW). 19 November 2014. Sandrine Blanchard. "Au Tchad, 'Trop, c'est trop'?" [Accessed 18 Mar. 2016]

Jeune Afrique. 30 September 2015. Nako Madjiasra. "Tchad : Les syndicats se mobilisent contre les coupes budgétaires." [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016]

Journal du Tchad. 29 September 2015. Edouard Takadji. "L'UST en grève à partir du 30 septembre." [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016]

Radio France internationale (RFI). 15 July 2013. "Makaïla Nguebla, blogueur tchadien : 'La France a restauré ma dignité'." [Accessed 18 Mar. 2016]

Le Tchadanthropus. 7 October 2015. "Flash info." [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016]

Tchad News. 24 August 2015. "Tchad : remaniement ministériel : la liste complète du gouvernement." [Accessed 15 Mar. 2016]

Trop c'est trop. 2 October 2015. Céline Narmadji. "Tchad : Trop c'est trop interpelle le gouvernement sur le sort des travailleurs." Press release no14/BC/2015. [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016]

Union des syndicats du Tchad (UST). 15 September 2015. Communiqué de presse no 011/UST/BE/2015. [Accessed 16 Mar. 2016]

_____. 12 September 2015. Communiqué de presse no 010/UST/BE/2015. [Accessed 16 Mar. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Collectifs des agents et cadres du ministère de l'Aménagement du territoire, de l'Urbanisme et de l'Habitat.

Internet sites, including: ABYZ; Africa1.com; Africa Confidential; Africahotnews.com; Afrik.com; Afrique en lutte; Amnesty International; Association pour la promotion des libertés fondamentales au Tchad; Association tchadienne pour la promotion et la défense des droits de l'homme; Chad - Présidence de la République du Tchad; Courrier des Afriques; ecoi.net; Factiva; Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Human Rights Watch; Icilome.com; ITUC-Africa.org; IZF.net; LabourStart.org; Ligue tchadienne des droits de l'homme; Magazine Charilogone; Organisation régionale africaine de la Confédération syndicale internationale; Tchad Actuel; Tchadpages.com; UN - Refworld; World Newspapers.