Revendications syndicales : Sonko sur les pas de Macky Sall
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko was uncompromising with union leaders during his appearance before the National Assembly on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. In many respects, he adopted Macky Sall's stance toward the unions. Addressing the members of parliament, the head of government took a firm stance against what he considers an excess of demands from workers. "Let the Senegalese people know that there is still no wealth to be shared. We were just talking about the union leaders, each one making demands," he declared indignantly.
According to the Prime Minister, the government cannot seek to reduce the budget deficit while some demand that their demands be fully met at any cost. He asserts that the unions have achieved gains under the current administration that they had been pursuing for twelve years. But they are never satisfied.
“Every time you sign, a new door is opened. I’ve even heard talk of emerging demands. What are emerging demands? (…) We mustn’t push the State to the limit. If we are pushed to the limit, we will stand up for ourselves. We will not give what we do not have. The country is not limited to 200,000 civil servants or 200,000 students,” he insisted.
This firm stance towards union leaders is nothing new in Senegal. Union leaders were already accustomed to it under Macky Sall. On several occasions, the former president adopted a similar tone. "I cannot accept that a minority benefits from the largesse of the State while the masses continue to suffer. I told my government that I will not interfere with the commitments made to the union leaders," he declared in August 2016, during an official ceremony launching the general business census. He also pointed out that only 300,000 Senegalese out of 14 million receive a salary, the others working in the informal sector.
"There's no point in asking for salary increases" (Macky)
Faced that same year with the withholding of grades, used by union members as their main means of exerting pressure, Macky Sall reacted firmly: “We are obliged to take the measures that the situation demands. We cannot sacrifice the future of children when the State has given everything. We cannot continue like this. (…) I have already instructed the government to take the necessary steps to ensure the availability of grades for all students in Senegal.”
In 2018, he returned to the attack, mentioning an exploding wage bill. In May 2019, he was even more categorical: "...there's no point in asking for salary increases. It's not possible. We don't have the means to increase salaries today. And we won't. Let's be clear about that. It's absolutely impossible," Macky Sall fumed.
Despite these tough rhetoric, Macky Sall eventually yielded to some union demands, particularly those of teachers who were calling for fairness and equity in the treatment of civil servants. In 2022, he implemented substantial salary increases for teachers, with net increases ranging from 150,000 to 350,000 CFA francs depending on rank and category.
Will Sonko give in in turn? The union members are mobilized and determined to force him to back down. Time will tell.
Return of the punctured material
Furthermore, teachers have been protesting since yesterday against salary deductions of up to 200,000 CFA francs, or even more, according to recent press reports. This is nothing new in Senegal. Under Macky Sall, strikers have repeatedly suffered salary deductions for striking: in 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2022.
The first time, Macky Sall had been conciliatory. When questioned on the matter in 2015 by Mademba Sock, who was requesting leniency, President Sall replied: "Before showing clemency, classes must first resume; that must be clear. Once the strike order is lifted, we can calmly examine the request."
In reality, the deductions were almost always refunded after negotiations. But in 2023, following significant efforts made on behalf of teachers, Macky Sall took a more radical stance: "From now on, the law will be applied in all its rigor: a day of strike action is equivalent to a day without pay."
Ousmane Sonko will also have to address this pressing issue. It remains to be seen whether the "guardian of the revolution" will adopt the same approach as his predecessor.
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