VZCZCXRO2510
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHDJ #1413/01 3560835
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 220834Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1160
INFO IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0008

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 001413 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/22 
TAGS: ELAB PHUM PGOV ECON ILO DJ
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI: RIVAL UNION FACTIONS 
 
REF: 08 DJIBOUTI 743 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: J. Swan, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY.  Djibouti has a history of rocky government-labor 
relations.  Despite recent modest progress on labor 
issues-including reported success in moving forward on long overdue 
collective bargaining agreements-one union has recently lodged a 
formal protest over the GODJ's alleged disbandment of its congress. 
A longstanding power struggle within the union concerned has 
complicated the situation.  One faction, backed by the Africa 
Regional Organization of the International Trade Union Federation 
(ITUC), condemns the GODJ's alleged breakup of its congress.  A 
second faction, however-described by the ITUC-backed faction as a 
GODJ-created "clone" union-claims that the meeting was 
unauthorized, and was therefore rightly dispersed.  The ITUC-backed 
faction now plans to hold its union congress by the end of 
December, without inviting its rival faction or formally 
publicizing the event.  In possibly forcing a union congress out of 
the public view and "underground," the GODJ increases the 
likelihood of the Credentials Committee of the International Labor 
Conference once again questioning how Djibouti's worker delegates 
are selected, and whether they really represent Djibouti's workers. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
FACTION ONE AND ITUC: 
 
GODJ BROKE UP OUR CONFERENCE 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Adan Mohamed Abdou, the Secretary-General of the UDT 
(Djiboutian Work Union), alleges that the GODJ prevented the UDT 
from holding a union congress in mid-October.  Abdou told EmbOffs 
that police officers broke up an October 13 pre-congress meeting 
held at the People's Palace (Djibouti's main public convention 
center), confiscated documents and publicity banners, and briefly 
detained two meeting participants.  Shortly after the October 13 
meeting was broken up, Abdou said, the UDT learned that the GODJ 
had also reportedly ordered the Sheraton Hotel to cancel the 
union's reservation for their planned October 14-15 congress. 
Sheraton employees told the UDT that they could not reinstate the 
reservation without written authorization from the GODJ, Abdou 
said.  The UDT applied for this authorization to the Ministry of 
the Interior, but received no response.  Later in the day on 
October 13, Abdou said that police also came to UDT headquarters. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Abdou provided EmbOffs with a copy of an October 21 letter 
sent to President Guelleh by ITUC-Africa Regional Organization 
General Secretary Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, formally protesting the 
GODJ's disbandment of the October 12-15 union meetings.  ITUC 
officials were initially to have participated in the October 12-13 
meetings, Abdou said.  A formal UDT protest to the International 
Labor Organization (ILO) also appeared on the opposition website 
ARDHD (Association for the Respect of Human Rights in Djibouti), 
dated November 8.  In this formal protest, the UDT alleges that a 
Ministry of Interior official told UDT representatives that all 
union activities relating to congresses or seminars are suspended. 
 
 
 
¶4. (C) On December 21, Abdou told PolOff that the UDT was still 
hoping to hold a congress before the end of 2009, but had decided 
to hold the event "discreetly," at a UDT annex office.  Abdou said 
that he hoped just over one-half to three-quarters of the UDT's 
membership would be able to attend, thus providing the required 
quorum for union decisions.  The congress, Abdou said, would not 
involve any ITUC participation (although ITUC had been notified of 
the UDT's plans).  A summary of the congress decisions would be 
provided both to ITUC and to the GODJ.  (NOTE.  Abdou 
simultaneously serves as Secretary-General of the opposition ARD 
(Republican Alliance for Democracy) party.  GODJ officials have 
previously questioned Abdou's participation in both union and 
political activities, and Article 214 of Djibouti's 2006 Labor Code 
formally prohibits union leaders from simultaneously holding 
leadership roles in political parties.  END NOTE). 
 
DJIBOUTI 00001413  002 OF 002 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
FACTION TWO: WE ASKED THE GODJ 
 
TO BREAK UP YOUR CONFERENCE 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) According to UDT President Mohamed Youssouf, the October 
12-15 congress was an unauthorized event, without the support of 
legitimate UDT leadership.  (COMMENT.  Abdou and Youssouf both 
completely deny the other's legitimacy as a UDT leader.  Abdou 
claims that Youssouf functions as a "clone" union leader, with GODJ 
support.  END COMMENT).  In a November 1 meeting with EmbOffs, 
Youssouf said that GODJ authorities had called him before breaking 
up the October 13 meeting, to ask if the event was officially 
sanctioned by the UDT.  Youssouf said that after finding out that 
Abdou had organized an event with ITUC financing (the participants 
were reportedly wearing T-shirts with the ITUC logo), he ceased to 
see ITUC as a neutral party.  Youssouf said that he prepared a 
communique for GODJ authorities, explaining that the October 12-15 
meetings were unauthorized, and that Abdou had previously been 
"suspended" from his functions by a majority of union members. 
Although Youssouf previously told EmbOffs that the UDT would hold a 
congress in December-without the participation of Abdou or his 
supporters-no congress has yet been held or scheduled. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
WHO REPRESENTS DJIBOUTI'S WORKERS? 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The longstanding dispute over UDT leadership has surfaced 
several times in the context of how Djibouti's workers' delegates 
to the annual International Labor Conference (ILC) are selected. 
In June 2009, the Credentials Committee of the ninety-eighth ILC 
again raised questions about the fairness of Djibouti's selection 
procedures, and asked Djibouti, again, to submit a report to the 
Committee in the following year explaining in detail how workers' 
delegates are chosen.  In its report, the Credentials Committee 
noted, inter alia, that "The Committee finds that the existence of 
the UDT led by Mr. Mohamed Abdou as part of the trade union 
movement in Djibouti is a fact."  In a September meeting, Labor 
Ministry Secretary-General Ali Yacoub Mahamoud had told PolOff that 
all of Djibouti's unions were planning to hold leadership elections 
by the end of 2009.  If necessary, the GODJ would be willing to 
provide logistical support for such elections, Mahamoud had noted, 
as the election turnouts could help show more definitively which 
organizations are most representative of Djiboutian workers, and 
thus respond to ILC Credentials Committee concerns. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE STORY; 
 
BUT NO REAL WINNERS 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
 
 
¶7. (C) COMMENT.  While rival factions continue to contest UDT 
leadership, both ITUC-Africa and the ILO Credentials Committee have 
consistently backed Abdou's camp.  Leadership squabbles 
notwithstanding, splintered or disrupted union congresses are in 
nobody's interest, since they perpetuate rather than settle rival 
claims of who represents Djiboutian workers, and leave the GODJ, 
again, to face questioning from the ILC Credentials Committee. 
Especially in light of signals from the Ministry of Labor that the 
GODJ was eager to see union congresses take place, it is troubling 
that the GODJ effectively prevented one faction from holding an 
open and public congress.  The GODJ may have been spooked by the 
presence of an opposition politician in the union leadership or by 
reports of external financing-or may have simply been encouraged to 
react by the rival union faction.  Post will continue to monitor 
this situation closely.  END COMMENT. 
SWAN