BRAZZAVILLE, June 24 (Reuters) – Oil workers in the Republic of Congo will begin a hunger strike from Monday to protest low wages and other demands not met by the government, the workers’ union said. .
A second phase of the strike from June 29 will involve the stoppage of work in all offices and industrial bases in Pointe-Noire, while the hunger strike continues in refineries, oil terminals, onshore bases and offshore, said the statement dated June 22 and viewed by Reuters. Friday.
Workers are demanding that their wages be adjusted for inflation and that employees of businesses that have been forced to close during the pandemic be compensated, union leader Jean Claude Tchibinda told Reuters.
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“Our goal is to continue until our demands are met,” he said, saying wages had not been increased since 2019.
Another union leader, Didier Mabiala, said the government had done nothing to address the demands since a last suspended strike in October 2018.
Authorities did not respond to calls.
Unions have sent letters to major oil companies such as ENI (ENI.MI) and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), which operate in the Republic of Congo, informing them of the strike plan.
Total and Eni did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Republic of Congo, an OPEC member that produces about 300,000 barrels a day, lowered oil and gas royalty rates in 2016 to encourage investment in new exploration.
The oil sector accounts for more than half of the West African country’s gross domestic product and more than 80% of exports, according to the World Bank. But most of its 5.7 million people have not reaped the benefits of major investments in industry.
More than half of the population lives in extreme poverty and was hit hard by a 3.4% rise in food prices last year.
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Reporting by Aaron Ross and Bate Felix; additional reporting by Christian Elion in Brazzaville Writing by Nellie Peyton and Sofia Christensen Editing by James Macharia Chege, Elaine Hardcastle
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