Kisantu: Tony Mwaba launches the work of the joint government-union commission for a peaceful start to the new school year

On behalf of Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge, the Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, launched the work of the Government-Union Joint Committee and the trade unions on Monday, August 8, 2022, in the conference room of Mbuela Lodge, in the city of Kisantu, Madimba Territory, Kongo-Central Province. Over the course of 15 days, the two parties will evaluate the Addendum to the Bibua Memorandum of Understanding, signed in November 2021 in the same room at Mbuela Lodge.

"Today we are gathered here to assess the degree of implementation of the Addendum that was signed in this room. A number of commitments were made. We want to know what was agreed upon, what has actually been implemented, what has not, and why," said Professor Tony Mwaba.

For the head of the EPST, representing the Prime Minister at this ceremony, the focus is on reviewing the commitments made by the Government of the Republic and, at the same time, determining how to clear all outstanding arrears. On this issue, Tony Mwaba noted that commitments must be honored not only by the government but also by the unions, so as to adhere to what was agreed upon in the Addendum to the Bibua Memorandum of Understanding. This is therefore a call to union members in the EPST subsector to avoid adding further demands that are not included in the agreements signed between the two parties.

"Do not demand what has not been agreed upon, what has not been signed! This is also a way of respecting the agreements. This will allow us, at the end of this evaluation, to see what remains and how to address it. We are therefore evaluating what already exists. We must avoid inventing new demands," the minister emphasized.

The head of the EPST urged union leaders to take the negotiations seriously and to refrain from spreading false information that goes beyond the context of the Joint Government-Union Commission, in order to ensure a smooth start to the school year and maintain a peaceful atmosphere in the subsector.

"We are here to work for the cause of teachers. No alarmist statements until there is an official announcement confirming the conclusion of negotiations between the two parties," stated Professor Tony Mwaba.

The negotiations were launched in the presence of national lawmakers, to whom the minister expressed his deep gratitude for their engagement with the concerns of his sector. "It is thanks to them that solutions have been found for certain demands, particularly those related to improving teachers’ socio-professional conditions," he noted.

Similar thanks were extended to the union leadership for maintaining a frank and open dialogue with the government, which allowed the 2021–2022 school year—which began amid turbulence—to come to a smooth conclusion.

Christian BELLA