Prosecution of union leaders for participating in strikes
In March and April 2022, the Togo Teachers' Union (SET), a public teachers’ union, called a strike to demand wage and benefit increases and the hiring of new teachers. Instead of engaging in social dialogue, as was proposed by SET, the government first declared the strike illegal and arrested three SET leaders on 8 April 2022. A ministerial order on 25 April 2022 then enabled the Minister for Public Services to dismiss 86 teachers and 26 trainee teachers for their participation in the strike, and to arbitrarily freeze their bank accounts, leaving the teachers without resources since April 2022. Several dozen others were still awaiting disciplinary sanctions.