Canal 3 Niger, a popular private television channel in Niger Republic, has sacked 36 employees who participated in a three-day strike to demand pay arrears.
According to the AFP, the dismissed staff include journalists, cameramen, and technicians.
The strike was called to demand two months’ back pay, but the management only paid one month’s salary, leading to the industrial action.
According to a spokeswoman for the sacked employees, Chamssiyatou Kimba they had been owed salary arrears for over one and a half years.
“Instead of the two months’ salary we were demanding, they paid us for only one month and we went on strike,” Kimba said.
Canal 3 Niger head Abdoulaye said the “day they received a month’s salary in back pay… everyone disappeared without ensuring minimum service”.
Canal 3 Niger’s head, Ismaël Abdoulaye, justified the dismissals, citing “insubordination” and “breach of contract.”
He claimed that the strike was illegal and that the employees failed to follow the proper procedures before embarking on the industrial action.
“The strike was illegal, there are procedures to be followed to go on strike,” he added.
