Madar (Dakar) - Senegal's government said on Monday, October 19, 2026, that it would take "all necessary measures" to guarantee the free movement of goods and people across the country and the freedom of employees to go to work, in response to a 72-hour general strike called by unions from October 21 to 23, the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) reported.
At a government press conference on the social climate, Civil Service, Labour and Public Service Reform Minister Mamadou Lamine Dianté warned union leaders, staff representatives, state employees and private-sector workers of possible disciplinary sanctions if the legal procedures governing the right to strike are not respected, urging them to show "responsibility".
The minister reaffirmed the government's readiness to continue dialogue with social partners to calm the social climate. Eight other ministers, including those for justice, national education, higher education and the budget, took part in the press conference.
Justice Minister Moussa Sarr said nearly 90% of the agreement signed on August 7, 2025, with justice workers' unions had been implemented, with the remaining dispute over reclassification terms, while the labour minister said the government had delivered 35 of its 84 commitments under the social stability pact, according to APS.
The National Confederation of Senegalese Workers and the Front for the Defence of Labour called the strike, and G7 teachers' unions and health unions have announced walkouts on the same dates, as the row over the amended finance law between Pastef and the government escalates.
