The intersyndicale de la SOPECO, a union representing workers at the Société des postes et de l’épargne du Congo (SOPECO), has called on the company's management to respect the deadline for paying salaries. On September 22, Jean-Jacques Mvila, Secretary General of the Le Postier union, appealed to SOPECO's management to adhere to the payment deadline of the 25th of each month. This appeal is based on conventions and the Code du travail.
The union's appeal is grounded in the convention 87 of the Organisation internationale du travail (OIT) and the Code du travail, specifically chapter VII, which pertains to syndical freedom. The union has requested that SOPECO's Director General take urgent measures to ensure timely salary payments, promoting trust among workers. This request aims to maintain the current peaceful climate within SOPECO, a public operator responsible for universal postal service.
To achieve this goal, the union has asked the ministère des Postes, des Télécommunications et de l’Économie numérique to intervene. The union wants the Director General to immediately pay salaries for March and April 2026, as well as backdated salaries withheld from March to June 2025. This request follows correspondence from the Directeur général du travail, who is responsible for labor jurisdiction.
Additionally, the union has requested that SOPECO's management provide each worker with a statement of their arrears. This would facilitate the ministry's efforts to find mechanisms to settle the social debt accumulated from 2017 to 2025. The union also seeks to address other issues, including the annulation of arbitrary reclassifications made by management.
The union demands that these reclassifications, made in disregard for the country's laws and regulations, be canceled without condition. Furthermore, they expect SOPECO's management to cooperate with the ministry's initiative to establish a restructuring committee. This committee would require management to provide complete documentation to task-force teams within a three-day deadline.
The union also calls for the immediate departure of consultants who lack auditing or consulting firms but receive monthly payments without justification for their services within the company. SOPECO workers have set a deadline for their demands to be met, threatening a large-scale movement if their concerns are not addressed.
The union's representative emphasizes that their goal is to maintain a peaceful work environment while ensuring that workers receive their rightful compensation. The situation remains to be resolved as the deadline for the salary payments approaches.
Key points
- SOPECO union demands timely salary payments and resolution of backdated salary issues.
