New sanction against striking teachers of the SET, the Togo Teachers’ Union. On Monday, April 25, the Minister in charge of the Civil Service issued four orders: 112 teachers lost their jobs for good.
All of them were part of the cohort of teachers first removed from the classroom in late March and early April and transferred to other departments of the administration. This time, therefore, these 112 teachers have been “dismissed” or “fired” for “serious breaches” of the texts governing their profession. They are accused of “acts of incitement to violence, disobedience and revolt. At issue: “disruptions in the school environment in certain localities” when students left their schools at the beginning of the month to demand the return of their teachers.
The SET is the union that has been trying to mobilize for several weeks to demand better working conditions and better pay for teachers. But for the government, it is not a legitimate interlocutor. The authorities consider the union to be “illegal”.
SET secretary general Kokou Mawouegna says he is not discouraged. “In any struggle, one leaves feathers. The union is considering its remedies.
It should be noted that three members of the SET are still in the civil prison of Lomé. And that in the four decrees signed Monday by Minister Gilbert Bawara, it is indicated that 26 other teachers are reinstated in their duties and six others temporarily excluded.