Via Radio Okapi: DRC: more than 60 Ebola response communicators demand salaries. The Google translation and then a comment:
More than sixty communication service agents in the Ebola response to Butembo (North Kivu) claim payment of three months' salary arrears. They told the press Tuesday, November 5, after the hearing they had with the coordinator of the response of this epidemic.
According to their spokesman, Anselme Bulio, all the communicators of the twelve health zones of the Butembo sub-coordination are concerned by this problem.
"We waited for three months because the coordination made us firm promises. But since then, nothing is done," he said.
They granted 48 hours, which expires on Thursday, 7 November, to the coordination of response, to regularize this situation. Otherwise, they promise to go on strike.
No new cases of Ebola have been detected since 1 October 2019, according to the sub-coordination of the response to the epidemic in the city of Butembo.
Which reminds communication service agents that they will not be paid.
"Since there are no more cases in the Butembo sub-coordination, we feel that we do not want to pay our arrears of three months salary. That's why we maintain our demands to be paid," said Anselme Bulio.
For his part, the Butembo Ebola Response Coordinator, Dr. John Kombe, did not want to respond to this concern. He believes that it is up to the mayor of the city, as an urban authority, to respond to these concerns.
It's richly ironic for the communicators: people cynically assume they're just in it for the money, while they're being stiffed by the authorities.
