Layoffs: Mamadou Lamine Dianté reveals the "real" figure and dismisses the announced 30,000

The debate surrounding the scale of layoffs in Senegal has taken a new turn. In a plenary session this Tuesday, the Minister of Public Service, Labor, and Public Service Reform, Mamadou Lamine Dianté, presented figures from the investigations conducted by his department. According to him, the number of recorded layoffs is 351, far fewer than the tens of thousands sometimes cited in the public debate. "When we tallied the numbers, we were at 351 layoffs," Mamadou Lamine Dianté told the members of parliament.

The minister explained that his department had brought together the various relevant bodies and labor unions to compare figures and establish a more precise picture. The case of the Autonomous Port of Dakar illustrates the discrepancies between the figures presented by the parties. Workers reported 224 layoffs, while the Port Authority counted 181. The government ultimately accepted the workers' figure of 224, subject to verification of the files. This approach aims, in particular, to distinguish genuine layoffs from other forms of termination or end of employment. In July, the minister had already indicated that the situations denounced by the unions would be examined on a case-by-case basis.

"Either you reinstate them all, or you negotiate a redundancy plan."

Beyond the battle of figures, the government intends to provide a concrete response to the workers concerned. Mamadou Lamine Dianté has stated a position he wants to be unambiguous: priority must be given to reinstatement or, when that is not possible, to the full payment of entitlements. "Either you reinstate them all, or you negotiate a social plan with them to allow them to receive their due benefits," he affirmed.

The minister assured that the Directorate General of Labor is responsible for continuing the verification and processing of cases. He also indicated that several workers have already been reinstated, particularly at the Autonomous Port of Dakar. In July, the government reported 75 reinstatements and 15 more planned.

A battle of numbers that continues

The figure of 351, however, does not end the controversy. Trade unions continue to denounce a much broader social situation, notably including certain non-renewals of contracts in their assessment of job losses. The government, for its part, now intends to rely on verified individual cases rather than overall estimates. This method could clarify, structure by structure, the reality of contract terminations and workers' rights. The debate on layoffs thus remains one of the main points of contention between the government and the trade unions, while discussions surrounding the new Labor Code and Social Security Code continue.