Iron… And business. On March 31, the Italian-Swiss shipowner Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) concluded an agreement with the French group Bolloré for the takeover of the assets of Bolloré Africa Logistics. In the lot, the Sitarail subsidiary, which operates the Abidjan-Ouagadougou railway, as well as a pile of outstanding disputes. They concern “the forgotten of the Bolloré era”.
Like a booster shot, this article from the weekly The Economist of Faso returns to the cases of former employees in conflict with the transport company – which has been operating since 1995 thanks to the privatizations imposed by the international financial institutions. “In the ranks of those who are still hoping for an outcome, dismissed and/or deflated workers; pensioners and heirs of deceased workers lost in countless dragging procedures”he notes, referring to “rights and compensation have become almost inaccessible”.
The Burkinabè weekly lists three files, involving a total of 270 workers, for which “court decisions have not been respected by Sitarail”. A majority of the employees had been made redundant during the 2002 Ivorian crisis, which brought a halt to rail traffic between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.
“The Syndicate of Retired Railway Workers of Burkina Faso, which is leading the file, seized the Minister of State in charge of national reconciliation in July 2021, for [répondre à] their concerns, in vain”écrit The Economist of Faso. In a letter given to the authorities, the trade union organization denounced in particular “non-payment of severance pay” by Sitarail or “the dismissal of agents following their union opinions”. Not sure that the wrath has since subsided.