(SenePlus) – While the country celebrates this Wednesday, May 1, the International Workers Day, an unprecedented event is preparing in the streets of Dakar: for the first time since the country’s independence, all Senegalese union centers have decided to unite their forces to demonstrate together.
According to information from RFI, this exceptional mobilization aims mainly to protest against what unions qualify “unpublished” dismissals in the public service. “More than 400 CDIs in the public service would be concerned,” reports the correspondent of the French newspaper in Dakar, Léa-Lisa Westerhoff. A situation that prompted all trade union organizations to claim “their reintegration as civil servants”.
This manifestation symbolically intervenes “a year after the coming to power of the new authorities”, potentially marking a turning point in relations between the government and the representatives of the workers.
Beyond the specific issue of layoffs, this day of mobilization will also serve as a platform to “make the social demands of the Senegalese” hear in a tense economic context.
-This unprecedented union unit testifies to the magnitude of concerns. “Could it be the end of the honeymoon between the authorities and the unions in Senegal?” Asked RFI.
The decision to demonstrate together represents a historic turning point in the Senegalese union landscape, traditionally fragmented. The fact that “for the first time since independence, all the country unions in the country will demonstrate together” underlines the gravity with which organizations perceive the current situation.
This unit could give unions a considerable political weight in the face of the government, while social and economic issues occupy a central place in the concerns of the Senegalese.
This May 1, 2025 is therefore promised as a crucial moment for social dialogue in Senegal and could foreshadow a period of increased tensions between the authorities and the representatives of the workers if the demands are not heard.
