Ebola: contract-free workers in Butembo demand better allowances
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kivu Morning Post
Workers at the Ebola treatment and transit centres in Butembo, Katwa and Musienene denounce allowances below the ministry’s scale and the absence of an official contract after four months of activity. According to their letter of 9 November, two earlier letters went unanswered, and their dry strike is due to begin on 12 November.
Workers at the Ebola Treatment Centres (CTE), the Transit Centres and the PCI-WASH community supervisors announce a dry strike from Thursday 12 November 2026, for an indefinite period. The announcement is contained in a letter dated 9 November, addressed to the mayor of Butembo, according to Kivu Morning Post. These workers operate in the health zones of Butembo, Katwa and Musienene.
According to the signatories, after four months of activity, their pay does not respect the scale set by the supervising ministry and is not comparable to that of other responders paid by the Ministry of Health. They work without an official contract. They are demanding an improvement in their allowances and a transparent review of the differences in risk allowance between nurses, hygienists and supervisors. They invoke Article 39 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to strike, after two letters that went unanswered favourably.
The workers disclaim any responsibility for the consequences of this strike and call on local authorities to secure staff during the period of action. The threat comes as the region faces the Ebola virus disease outbreak. A strike had already been mentioned on 5 November (threat of strike in Butembo).
