Africa-Press – Cape verde. The SIACSA union admitted this Wednesday that it will proceed with a strike of drivers from the public transport company Sol Atlântico between the 18th and 20th of this month if there is no agreement on salary updates and an end to the alleged discrimination between workers.
This position was announced by the president of the Union of Industry, Agriculture, Commerce and Related Services (SIACSA), Gilberto Lima, after a conciliation meeting this morning at the General Directorate of Labor (DGT) that failed to bring the parties closer.
“Today was a day of conciliation, but we were unable to reach an agreement, that is, the position initiated in March of this year. Sol Atlântico has discriminated against workers,” the leader told the press, explaining that the union is demanding a base salary of 40,000 escudos.
Gilberto Lima denounced that there is an unjustified salary difference of more than four thousand escudos between workers, with those most affected being those with more years of service, some with more than two decades in the company.
According to the union, newly hired employees earn a salary of 30,000 escudos, plus a 4,000 escudo shift allowance. In contrast, more senior workers receive between 24,000 and 26,000 escudos, plus the shift allowance.
“During the previous strike, the company hired a significant number of new drivers and assigned them salaries more than 4,000 escudos higher than those paid to older workers,” the union representative denounced, adding that this situation has motivated several workers to emigrate to Portugal in search of better living conditions.
The union representative reminded that Cape Verde is a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and must respect the principle of “equal pay for equal work,” especially when a worker has more years of service.
The union leader also recalled that, during a previous strike, the Government decreed a civil requisition of the company, a measure that SIACSA considered “strange, but complied with,” and reaffirmed that the current struggle aims to “correct an injustice that has been going on for several years.”
The strike is scheduled to last for three days, from Tuesday to Thursday, with an estimated participation of “about one hundred workers,” and will be accompanied by demonstrations in Platô, in the city of Praia.
Gilberto Lima warned of possible disruptions to public transport and blames the Sol Atlântico administration for the situation for not presenting a solution.
“It will be a huge loss for Sol Atlântico. They should think twice before deciding not to update salaries,” warned the president of SIACSA.
According to Gilberto Lima, the company has justified its position with alleged financial and operational difficulties.
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