Senegal Proposed Salary Reduction Limited to Top Echelon

No sooner had the Senegalese National Assembly approved of President Wade’s proposal to reduce the salaries of all government workers in Senegal from 1 % to 30% as a response to what has been portrayed as a dire economic situation, the decision has been revised, according to an announcement made by Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou Soumare yesterday.

According to him, during a meeting with trade unionists, the latter requested the cancellation of the reduction of salaries of all workers. Premier Soumare disclosed that it was agreed in the meeting that President Wade’s salary be cut by 30%, the Prime Minister and Ministers salaries by 25%, MPs’ and Senators’ by 15%. However all other government workers are to be exempted from the austerity measure.

The proposal had come under a lot of criticism from the press, the opposition and trade unionists, which all sharply condemned the suggestion.