Bujumbura : CNTS employees go on strike

Employees of the National Blood Transfusion Center CNTS gathered within the SYNAPA union began an indefinite strike movement on Monday. They are demanding their unpaid salaries for the months of May and June as well as the regularization of the annals. The SYNAPA union (National Union of Paramedical and Nursing Assistant Staff) to which they are affiliated is asking the Ministry of Health to restore their rights.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

These CNTS employees on strike say they have seen no desire on the part of the government to release their two months of unpaid salaries. They indicate that they issued a strike notice at the end of June.

Donatien Nzosaba, CNTS staff representative, reports that he even extended the notice to negotiate but there was no response.

In a press briefing on Monday, Mr. Nzosaba specified that “it is difficult for them to support their families following the debts they owe to owners of houses they rent and shops, especially since most families live in unspeakable precariousness.”

“We waited too long. But today we are angry. It will be three months since we received our salary,” he laments.

And added, “We have decided to start the strike movement because there is no palpable progress. We have given the employer sufficient time for the issue to be resolved, in vain.”

He laments that “we filed a strike notice, even extended it twice but without obtaining a satisfactory response.” These members of SYNAPA are asking for salaries of two months – May and June, but also the annals which date from July 2023 to April 2024. They mention the presidential decree of March 2024 and the order of May 2024 of the Finance Minister which recommends all ministries to implement this decree according to the union representative.

The strikers regret that the Central Bank cannot continue banking operations, especially since the finance services have not yet validated salary payments and regularization records.

“The file has not yet been transmitted to the BRB*. We note that there is no real step that has been taken in the processing of this file,” concludes the union representative.

He calls on all the concerned ministries to come together to resolve the issue urgently, affirming that “we do not intend to resume work if there is no favorable outcome to our demands.” The general management of the CNTS indicates that it is doing its best to ensure that its staff are treated properly and hopes that the Central Bank will soon resolve the situation.

Given the role played by the National Blood Transfusion Center, there is great concern among the population benefiting from its services. If the situation persists, it could affect patients in need of blood because supplies risk running out.

We tried to contact the Minister of Health on this subject, without success.

——————

A CNTS employee collecting blood for health facilities in Burundi during a blood donation campaign (SOS Médias Burundi)

(BRB*: Burundi Central Bank)