Niger: Court of Appeal orders the reinstatement of an unfairly dismissed union leader under pressure from the
international union movement
ICFTU-WCL joint press release
Brussels (ICFTU online): "The dismissal of Diamyo El Hadj Yacouba was annulled by the Court of Appeal of Niamey". The
ICFTU and the WCL welcomed the news on 7 February of the positive verdict in the dispute between Diamyo El Hadj Yacouba,
General Secretary of the energy workers' union (Syndicat des Travailleurs de l'Energie du Niger) and representative of
the CNT (Confédération nationale des travailleurs) on the National Commission on Human Rights and Labour Standards, and
his employer, the company NIGELEC. If the company respects the decision of the Appeals Court, the union leader will be
reinstated and will receive back pay, bonuses and benefits dating back to the time of his dismissal. The representations
made by the ICFTU and the WCL to the country's authorities and the complaint to the ILO undoubly had a major impact on
the outcome of this case.
More than two years ago, Diamyo El Hadj Yacouba was arbitrarily dismissed. This sparked off solidarity from various
organisations in Niger, in particular the Entente des Travailleurs du Niger (ETN), and the African and international
trade union movements. At the time, nothing was done to remedy this situation, which was in breach of ILO Convention 87
and the country's Constitution.
The case has brought to light the existence of anti-union practices at the NIGELEC company, as well as the precarious
working conditions that the union had denounced. There had even been several reports of workers losing arms or legs
owing to the lack of safety measures at workplaces and it seems the victims had not even received any compensation.
The ICFTU and the WCL welcome this ruling by the Court of Appeal of
Niger and urge the authorities to continue to promote and respect trade union rights. They draw particular attention to
the need to overturn the unjust decision to transfer several leaders from the same trade union to far-flung parts of the
country where the company has subsidiaries, and to the pressing need to provide compensation to the victims of
occupational accidents and to introduce safety measures at workplaces.
The ICFTU represents 155 million workers through its 236 affiliated organisations in 154 countries and territories. The
ICFTU is also a member of Global Unions: http://www.global-unions.org/