Civil Service Reform: SAMES demands to be involved and maintains pressure on the State

The Autonomous Union of Doctors, Pharmacists and Dentists of Senegal (SAMES) is raising its voice. Meeting in Louga from July 17 to 19 for their National Executive Committee (NEC), SAMES leaders expressed their concerns about the announced reforms to the Civil Service and reaffirmed their commitment to defending the interests of healthcare professionals.

This meeting, the first since the installation of the new National Executive Bureau (NEB), allowed participants to assess the challenges facing the health sector and to define the strategic directions of the union.

The debates focused mainly on the implications of the employment contract in the civil service and on the consequences that the reforms could have on the status and career of doctors, pharmacists and dentists.

Following the discussions, SAMES advocated for the establishment of a technical working group to contribute to the ongoing reforms. The union believes that any changes to the framework governing the civil service must be carried out within the context of genuine social dialogue and with the effective participation of representative healthcare practitioner organizations.

The National Executive Committee also reviewed the difficulties encountered in the various sections of the union across the country. At this meeting, the members approved the entire list of demands and instructed the National Executive Bureau to continue implementing the strike notice filed last June.

SAMES is demanding, in particular, the immediate resumption of negotiations with the government to ensure the implementation of agreements already reached. It is also calling for a special status for medical professionals, the establishment of a decent minimum basic salary and retirement pension, as well as a more effective system to facilitate the recruitment of doctors, pharmacists, and dentists into the civil service.

Furthermore, the union is calling on all its members to remain mobilized. It warns that the movement will only be suspended once all of its demands have received a satisfactory response from the authorities.