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Sudan: The Teacher's Trade Union including activities in the city of Kosti during 1999 to present

No information on the Teacher's Trade Union including its activities in the city of Kosti could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, the following information may be of interest. Panafrican New Agency (PANA) reported that members of the Teachers Federation were preparing a national strike due to long delays in receiving their salaries (7 Dec. 2000). The article stated that Bashir Abdulghani, the Federation's secretary in charge of social and financial affairs, "warned that the federation was planning a country wide strike in case the teachers' arrears are not paid" (ibid.).

According to the 2001 annual survey for Sudan of the International Confederation of Free Trade Union Rights (ICFTUR):

In September, several demonstrations broke out in various towns in the north of the country. Salary arrears for teachers were mentioned among the main complaints. The police brutally intervened. According to our sources, various demonstrators received gunshot wounds and others were arrested (1 Oct. 2001).

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001 also reports on teacher strikes during 2000 to protest the non-payment of salaries lasting several months (4 Mar. 2002). The report further noted that "during some of these strikes, police and security forces used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse demonstrators; the security forces killed several persons, and detained and beat numerous individuals" (ibid.).

Although the constitution allows for the right of association for trade unions, the National Salvation Revolution Command Council (RCC) which took power in 1989 through a military coup, "abolished pre-1989 labour unions, closed union offices, froze union assets, forbade strikes, and prescribed severe punishments, including the death penalty, for violations of its labour decrees ..." (ibid.). The only functioning labour union during 2001 was the government-controlled Sudan Workers' Trade Union Federation (SWTUF) (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 4 March 2002. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/af/8405pf.htm> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2002]

International Confederation of Free Trade Union Rights (ICFTUR). 1 October 2001. "Sudan: Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights (2001)." <http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991213779&&Printout=Yes&Printout=Yes> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2002]

Panafrican News Agency (PANA) [Khartoum]. 7 December 2000. Yahya el Hassan. "The Plight of Learners in Sudan." <http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200012070276.html> [Accessed 23 Sept. 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB Databases

NEXIS

Internet sites including:

Africa Confidential

Africa Online

AllAfrica.com

Amnesty International (AI)

BBC News Africa

Daily Arabic News

East African Standard

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Integrated Regional International Network (IRIN)

International Labour Organization (ILO)

Kosti Web Page

Labour Start

Sudan Update

Sudanese Human Rights Quarterly

Sudan.net

World News Connection (WNC)

Search engines including:

Google