As the Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni municipal staff strike enters its third day, tensions remain high between UTG union representatives and the municipality. Each party sticks to its positions, and the agents' demands remain unresolved.
For three days, the town hall of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni has been facing a mobilization led by the Union of Guyanese Workers (UTG), which denounces inequalities in the allocation of bonuses and salaries. Thierry Léandre, representative of the UTG central, who came to support the local section, criticizes in particular the management of IFSE and CIA bonuses.
There is a glaring disparity between categories C, which receive between 80 and 178 euros, and categories A and B, where the amounts climb to 800 or 900 euros. These inequalities do not respect regulatory frameworks
says Thierry Léandre. He adds that the CIA bonus of 4,500 euros, awarded to certain agents, would be illegal.
The secretary of the UTG section of the town hall, Fabien Alaïs, echoes these concerns:
We have already made great efforts to regularize careers. Since 2018, there have been 50 tenures, 34 internal promotions and the regularization of the NBI at a cost of 400,000 euros.
he explains.
The elected official also highlights a draft deliberation on the compensation plan, sent to the union on November 14, which, according to him, has not received any feedback. “We remain open to dialogue, but we expect clear and formalized demands”he insists.
On the criticisms concerning bonuses, Manuel Jean-Baptiste specifies: “The IFSE is paid monthly, but the CIA is not an obligation. It is awarded based on professional evaluations.”
For union representatives, the dialogue with the municipality lacks transparency. Thierry Léandre deplores that “the meetings organized are not followed by clear decision statements”a claim that Manuel Jean-Baptiste refutes.
I personally saw union representatives sign these statements in the DGS office. We cannot move forward if we do not have specific requests
replies the chosen one.
Fabien Alaïs, for his part, insists on the need to return to the negotiating table:
We have proposed a clear picture for the IFSE, but we still do not have a concrete answer.
According to the town hall, the strike only affects 10% of staff, and a minimum service is provided to limit disruptions in schools and municipal services. However, some sports facilities had to close, leading to the cancellation of matches.
For UTG, these disruptions are the price to pay to achieve significant progress.
We are sorry for the impacts on the population, but this mobilization is necessary so that the agents are finally heard
While both parties are sticking to their positions, dialogue seems difficult to renew. The town hall calls for formalized demands to move forward, while the UTG demands concrete measures to respond to the inequalities denounced. The situation remains tense, and negotiations must resume quickly to avoid a prolonged blockage.
