São Tomé and Principe health workers strike for higher wages, 2000

Goals

An increase in wages and new salary framework.

Time period notes

The strike itself lasted 10 days.

Time period

October, 2000 to November, 2000

Country

Sao Tome and Principe
Jump to case narrative

Leaders

Health workers’ union

Partners

Not known.

External allies

Not known.

Involvement of social elites

Not known.

Opponents

The São Tomé and Principe government

Nonviolent responses of opponent

Not known

Campaigner violence

Not known

Repressive Violence

Not known

Cluster

Economic Justice

Classification

Change

Group characterization

Workers in the health sector

Additional notes on joining/exiting order

Not known

Segment Length

Not known

Success in achieving specific demands/goals

6 out of 6 points

Survival

1 out of 1 points

Growth

0 out of 3 points

Total points

7 out of 10 points

Notes on outcomes

The workers received increased wages and a new salary framework.

Database Narrative

The year 2000 was full of strikes for São Tomé and Principe.
In early 2000, the civil service went on strike demanding an increase in
minimum wage, which they eventually obtained in April. In October 2000, the
teachers’ union in São Tomé and Principe went on strike with 20 demands,
including an increase in wages.

Then, in either late October or early November (sources
varied), the health workers’ union also went on strike. The workers in the
health sector insisted on an increase in pay and a new salary framework. Both
the teachers on strike and the health workers wanted a pay increase equal to
the one the civil servants had received. After 10 days, the health workers’
strike ended because of government negotiations. The result of the negotiations
was that the minimum health worker salary would be increased from 40,000 dobras
to 150,000 dobras.

The teachers’ strike ended in late November when seven of their
demands were met. 

Sources

Coleman, Denise Youngblood. “Sao Tome and Principe.” CountryWatch Review. Houston: CountryWatch, Inc., 2011. < http://www.countrywatch.com/pdfs/reviews/B44588L5.01b.pdf>.

Murison, Katharine. Africa South of the Sahara 2003. London: Europa Publications Limited, 32 ed., 2003. <http://books.google.com/books?id=1KBP7QbalX0C&pg=PA860&lpg=PA860&dq=strike+November+2000+sao+tome&source=bl&ots=Ko-VYqJy_R&sig=WaKbx8ks9hY5xqaqnajetqaiTPc&hl=en&ei=Vyo4TqXBKoXWgQfCoM2bAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=strike&f=false>.

Additional Notes

São Tomé and Principe experienced several other strikes in 2000, including a civil service strike and teachers’ union strike.

Name of researcher, and date dd/mm/yyyy

Lindsay Carpenter, 2/8/2011