The case of the dismissal of three employees of Groupe Médias du Sud (GMS) is far from over. The representative of the civil party in court has submitted his response.

Aliou Cissé, representing the three former GMS workers, refutes the statement made by GMS management.

He claims that the dispute could have been settled amicably since 2019. Aliou Cissé states that he has laid all the foundations for negotiation and settlement of this matter without involving the courts. And, now that the courts have ruled, the employer must pay and will pay.

"My clients were unfairly dismissed by their employer, and we contacted the Ziguinchor Labor and Social Security Inspectorate to attempt conciliation between the parties. When that failed, I took it upon myself to invite colleagues from the Association of Information and Communication Professionals (APIC) of Ziguinchor to try to find a solution. In my understanding, there was no question of initiating legal proceedings against a media company," said Mr. Cissé, specifying that several attempts at mediation were favored on his part, even with notables in the region.

A proposal to pay financial compensation of 300,000 CFA francs to its clients was even made to the developer and employer in order to avoid legal proceedings, according to the union representative and legal representative of these three workers in dispute with Groupe Médias du Sud.

The employer has chosen to take legal action with its pool of lawyers in Ziguinchor as well as in Dakar, said Aliou Cissé, who added that he was not the cause of the crisis facing this regional press body.

"We had the opportunity to file the case before his TNT arrived, but I said no. He's fought so far, we're not here to hinder him. We're not here to hinder the spread of such an initiative. I told the bailiff and the auctioneer to do nothing," Aliou Cissé explained. He categorically refuses to be the "executioner" in this affair, and responsible for what will happen to the Groupe Médias du Sud located in Ziguinchor.