BUJUMBURA July 6th (ABP) – The chairperson of the National Federation of Health Sector Unions (FNSS), Mr. Mélance Hakizimana, issued on Tuesday July 4, 2023, a statement relating to the retirement of the staff of the public health having reached the age of 60, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
Indeed, following correspondence number 630/3505/CAB/2023, of June 29, 2023, from the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, addressed to the heads of the health administration, to inform the staff who reached 60 of their retirement, the FNSS chairman has reacted.
In a statement released for that purpose, Mr. Hakizimana recalled the collective agreement signed in 2009 between the government of the Republic of Burundi and the unions in the health sector, where the draft bylaw of professionals in that sector stipulates, in article 84 in its second section, that any health professional is eligible for retirement when having reached the age of 65.
Mr. Hakizimana also specified that this agreement was negotiated and signed on April 7, 2009 and was legislated in law number 1/24 of October 2, 2009, on the specific provisions of the general bylaw of civil servants, applicable to the personnel of the public health on the initiative of the government.
It this context, he underlined, the FNSS asks the Chairperson of the National Committee for Social Dialogue (CNDS) to bring the two parties to the negotiating table as soon as possible in order to find a joint solution. The FNSS also asks the Ministry of the Public Service, Labor and Employment to intervene on the issue, hoping that the negotiations could lead to a consensus.
Through that statement, Mr. Hakizimana also asks the ministry responsible for public health to let the staff concerned go about their usual activities while waiting for the outcome of the negotiations.
Before closing his remarks, the chair of the FNSS asked the COSYBU to bring together all the unions to analyze the situation of social relations currently prevailing in the labor world and to take the necessary measures for the interest of the labor and workers.