The head of a labour union confronting the Central African Republic government over its failure to pay its public servants was arrested on Monday over allegations he received ”unwarranted payments”, union officials said.
Noel Ramadan, the secretary general of the Labor Union of Central African Workers (USTC), and five teachers were questioned by police as part of an investigation into civil servants’ payments, a USTC official said.
The five were later released, but Ramadan was placed in detention.
”After the hearing, I wanted to leave but they told me to wait for the prosecutor’s permission … and then they told me that I was being held for further questioning,” Ramadan said.
”The apparent reason is the perception of unwarranted payments,” he added.
The Central African Republic government, in serious financial straits, is unable to pay its 20 000 public servants, most of whom have received just two months’ wages since the start of the year.
In recent months, authorities have been checking that public servants are still carrying out their tasks as part of a crackdown on ”phantom employees” who no longer show up to work.
The USTC recently refused the government’s demand for an 18-month moratorium on the payment of unpaid wages, which ”would not engender good relations”, Ramadan said.
The country’s public servants struck for a week in mid-October to demand nine months’ of outstanding salary be paid immediately.
On Monday, after negotiations with unions, the government agreed to pay two months of owed wages. — Sapa-AFP