Ivory Coast: Education Ministry sets up procedure to restore salaries for non-striking teachers
In Ivory Coast, the Ministry of National Education has clarified that any staff member seeking salary restoration must provide tangible proof of their presence during the strike period.
La ministre ivoirienne de l’Éducation nationale et de l’Alphabétisation, Mariatou Koné
The teachers’ strike that began in April 2025 continues to have ripple effects. Although union protests have subsided, a new issue has emerged: employees of the Ministry of National Education and Literacy (MENA) have reported salary deductions for April despite not participating in the strike.
To address the situation, the Ministry’s Human Resources Department (HRD) has introduced measures to correct the errors. In an official memo dated April 28, 2025, addressed to Regional Directors of National Education and Literacy, the ministry acknowledged receiving reports of staff members “who did not participate in the strike from April 3 to April 9, 2025” but nonetheless faced salary cuts.
To resolve the issue, the HRD is inviting affected employees to submit a letter to the Director of Human Resources, along with “supporting documents” such as photocopies of the lesson plan book, attendance register, or journal logbook pages.
The strike, organized by the Inter-Union of the Education/Training Sector (IS-MENA/ETFPA), called for a “review of quarterly incentive bonuses” and “respect for union freedoms.” According to union leaders, more than 95% of secondary school and technical education teachers nationwide supported the movement.