VZCZCXRO3971
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0673 0821528
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231528Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7931
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS DAKAR 000673 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL/IL AND INR/AA 
PARIS FOR POL - D'ELIA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB SOCI PHUM PGOV PINS KDEM SG
SUBJECT: SENEGAL'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER STRIKE 
 
REF: A. DAKAR 0588 
¶B. 06 DAKAR 2892 
¶C. 06 DAKAR 1554 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
¶1.  (U) Led by the Confederation of Autonomous Unions (CSA), 
Senegal's 17,000 elementary school teachers staged a March 20 
nationwide "warning" strike.  Their objective was to demand equal 
implementation of a new benefit President Wade granted high school 
teachers on the eve of February 25 presidential elections.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
THE BENEFIT 
----------- 
¶2.  (U) President Wade gave a "research and documentation allowance" 
to high school teachers as a pre-election sweetener and to stave off 
a potentially crippling strike that threatened the baccalaureate 
exam.  This move opened the door to a bigger problem though, as 
elementary teachers, who were left out of this de facto salary 
increase, demanded it be applied for all teachers.  Since almost all 
teacher unions support the strike and plans a 72-hour strike March 
27-29, the specter again looms of another lost academic year, at 
least for elementary students. 
 
OVERCOMING DIVISIONS 
-------------------- 
¶3.  (SBU) Teacher unions, even those close to Wade, have joined 
forces to demand this benefit.  While suggesting they may challenge 
the GOS in court on the issue, CSA President Mamadou Diouf 
underlined that secondary teachers are in solidarity with their 
elementary colleagues in support of the strike. 
 
RUMORS INFLATE THE BENEFIT 
-------------------------- 
¶4.  (SBU) Meanwhile, Diouf said, many teachers stand to be shocked 
and perhaps outraged when they find future benefits less than the 
initial payment.  Since the benefit was enacted in February but made 
retroactive to January, he explained, the first tranche had been 
approximately USD 100, but succeeding supplements will be only USD 
¶50.  Furthermore, the GOS has cornered the teachers because, hours 
before implementing the increase, the Finance Ministry's Salary 
Office Director called Diouf to reveal that the benefit would only 
be granted as an "additional work time compensation benefit" and 
that each teacher would have to work an extra three hours per week. 
In any case, it appears the allowance could be withdrawn at any 
time. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶5.  (SBU) In a move clearly inspired to boost his reelection 
campaign, Wade created a way to immediately add to teacher income 
while working around a carefully negotiated pay scale system.  As 
one religious leader told us, Wade believes "Senegalese are easy to 
govern when they have money."  The pursuit of policies that have 
created special benefits to by-pass general salary increases to 
civil servants has opened the door for more demands by other groups 
who have yet to benefit. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) As noted in Ref A, President Wade's targeted but 
significant salary increases are adding to Senegal's already serious 
budget woes.  It remains to be seen if, after legislative elections, 
the National Assembly will have the necessary authority to put an 
end to this latest wave of pay increases.  If not, pay inflation 
could seriously undermine not only public finances, but also the 
cornerstone of the Senegalese public service system, namely the 
popular belief in equal treatment for all.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶7.  (U) Visit Embassy Dakar's SIPRNet site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/af/dakar. 
 
JACOBS