Burkina Faso civil servants protest wage cuts

A protest by public sector workers with support from private employees in the Burkinabe capital of Ouagadougou, Saturday

The workers were opposing the imposition of a new tax on allowances and bonuses for civil servants.

Of the 200,000 or so civil servants, 190,000 saw their February salaries reduced by amounts ranging from 1.5 to 7.5 euros.

Bassolma Bazie, spokesperson for Workers of Burkina trade union said, “we have demanded, purely and simply, not only the withdrawal of the implementation of the IUTS on premiums and allowances for workers, whether public, semi-public or private, but also the immediate reimbursement of the cuts that have been made.”

According to Burkinabe authorities, it was essential to bring civil servants at par with private sector workers, who are already subject to the tax.

Labour unions are planning a general strike from March 16-20.

President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, who has been in power since 2015, is struggling to implement his National Economic and Social Development Plan. The plan aims to substantially reduce poverty.

His government has failed to secure the 28 billion euros needed to fund it. The fight against terrorism is straining resources of the Sahelian nation.