Haut-Katanga 1: Education authorities and private school unions agree on order in trade union activities

On Tuesday, November 7, 2023, education authorities in Haut-Katanga 1 met with union representatives and nonprofit organizations to discuss the need for order and good governance in union activities, which must now be upheld in private schools. Joseph Mwinkeu Tshiend and Nicolas Nyange Bizy, provincial director and chief provincial inspector, respectively, demanded that their guests comply with official instructions regarding the EPST subsector. Given the number of private school teachers’ unions operating in Haut-Katanga 1, they were reminded that school staff have the right to freely join the union of their choice. Consequently, the unions were asked to compile lists, by school, of teachers who have joined as full members. One participant noted that the meeting addressed the issue of accredited private schools that belong to more than one union at the same time. “They are free to join the union of their choice, according to their convictions. But belonging to two unions at the same time is what creates disorder and confusion,” he stated. It should be recalled that, following the official communiqué of September 16 from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Service, Administrative Modernization, and Public Service Innovation, Minister Tony Mwaba Kazadi called on Tuesday, October 3, for unions operating within the EPST to strictly adhere to official instructions and warned anyone who violated them. As a reminder, only organizations registered and/or accredited by the Ministry of Public Service are authorized to operate within the public administration. Dan de Dieu Kayanda