Consultations on the bonuses demanded by Senelec staff have produced a consensus at ministerial level, Senegalese Minister of Energy and Petroleum Abdourahmane Diouf announced on Monday, 19 October, in Dakar. Payment remains subject to a decision by the President of the Republic.
The minister asked the unions of the national electricity company to suspend their strike threat. He was speaking at the government press briefing on the social climate, two days before the 72-hour strike announced from 21 to 23 October by the Trade Union Front for the Defence of Workers.
The disagreement concerns the assessment of the company's performance, which determines eligibility for this pay. According to Abdourahmane Diouf, the chairman of the board had argued for a bonus linked to profitable results, while the presidency's departments disputed its appropriateness.
Contributions from representatives of staff, the general management, the presidency and the ministry's technical departments were brought together. The minister said an agreement had emerged on the envisaged amounts and the appropriateness of payment, and that the conclusions were then passed to the head of state.
The head of state had not yet ruled as of Monday, Abdourahmane Diouf said, and no deadline for a decision was announced. Senelec, a company with majority public ownership, is responsible in particular for the production, transmission and distribution of electricity in Senegal.