Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville): Public school teachers' demands on the government to be recognized as public servants and thus obtain the benefits of public servants; whether teachers have been arrested in September 2001 in Brazzaville as a result of their demands (2001-January 2003)

No information on whether teachers have been arrested in September 2001 in Brazzaville could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, an 18 June 2001 article noted that "Congolese authorities Sunday arrested the secretary general of the National Federation of Teachers in Congo (FENATREC) along with other union executives as they met with members at the weekend" (PANA).

Various sources reported that in May 2001, Congolese teachers launched an illegal strike to demand the payment of 12 months of salary arrears as well as the reinstatement of salaries which were cut by 15 to 29 per cent (WSWS 31 May 2001; BBC 28 May 2001; PANA 18 June 2001). One source of information added that teachers also wanted a "lifting of the suspension of incremental benefits, and an extension of the retirement age from 55 to 60 years" (ibid.).

According to Country Reports 2001, "in May and June some teachers attempted to strike; however, the courts and the Government declared it illegal, effectively stopping the action" (2002, Sect. 6.a). The report added that "salaries were withheld from teachers who attempted to strike" (ibid. Sect. 6.b).

During a 6 January 2003 telephone interview, the secretary general of the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights (Observatoire congolais des droits de l'homme, OCDH), which is affiliated to the Paris-based Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'Homme (FIDH), provided the following information.

There are two categories of teachers within Congolese public schools. The first category comprises teachers who were hired as other public servants and who receive salaries and benefits from the Congolese government. The second category includes teachers who joined on a voluntarily basis. They are called "appelés" or "volontaires de l'enseignement."

The OCDH representative explained that in the mid-1990's, the Congolese government, under pressure of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), decided to lower public expenses and stopped to hiring public servants, including teachers. However, with government promises to regularise their situation soon, many teachers accepted to enrol on a voluntarily basis and without pay. Until now, this category of teachers does not receive any salary or benefits from the Congolese government.

While the OCDH executive secretary stated that he was not aware of any arrests of teachers during September 2001, he noted that those teachers ("appelés") are often on strike demanding to be treated and recognized as public servants and are often repressed by the security forces.

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 to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

BBC News. 28 May 2001. "Congo Teachers Defy Government Sanctions Threats." [Accessed 6 Jan. 2003]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 2002. "Congo." United States Department of State. Washington, DC [Accessed 6 Jan. 2003]

Observatoire congolais des droits de l'homme (OCDH) [Brazzaville]. 6 January 2003. Telephone interview with the secretary general who is also acting president.

Panafrican News Agency (PANA). 18 June 2001. "Congolese Authorities Arrest Union Leader." (NEXIS)

The World Socialist Web Site (WSWS). 31 May 2001. "Africa: Congo Teachers Strike in Defiance of Government Threats." [Accessed 6 Jan. 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential 2001-November 2002.

Africa Research Bulletin 2001-September 2002.

IRB Databases.

Keesing's Record of World Events. 2001-2002.

LEXIS/NEXIS.

Resources Center country file. Congo

Websites, including:

Africatime.

Allafrica.

Amnesty International.

BBC Africa.

Congo Portal.

Les Dépêches de Brazzaville.

FIDH.

HRW.

MISNA.

Reliefweb.