Over 60 Workers Demand 22 Months of Unpaid Wages on DRC Development Project

More than 60 engineers, site managers, and agents involved in the Local Development Program of 145 Territories (PDL-145T) in the Maniema province of the Democratic Republic of Congo are protesting unpaid wages. They are demanding payment for over 22 months of arrears, citing a severe deterioration of their social and economic situation.

“

We, engineers, site managers, and agents working on the 145 Territories project, have the honor to bring to the attention of the public and competent authorities the worrying situation we have been going through for several months. Since October 2024 until today, we have not yet received our salaries.

The workers submitted a memorandum of grievances on Wednesday, July 29, to Congolese authorities and project partners, requesting urgent intervention. They assert that they fulfilled their professional obligations within a program considered strategic for developing basic infrastructure in the DRC. The memorandum denounces what they describe as abandonment by SAFRICAS, the company they identify as their employer for the project.

One of the engineers, Okitekamba Diomu Thomas, stated in the memorandum, "We, engineers, site managers, and agents working on the 145 Territories project, have the honor to bring to the attention of the public and competent authorities the worrying situation we have been going through for several months. Since October 2024 until today, we have not yet received our salaries."

“

We ask the authorities, the UNDP which awarded the contract to SAFRICAS, and SAFRICAS which abandoned us with ITM, whom we don't even know, to quickly find an amicable solution to our cause. We worked for the interest of the nation and we need to be rewarded.

The workers are seeking the involvement of national authorities, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and other companies involved in the project to find a swift resolution. They emphasize their preference for dialogue and legal avenues but warn that their patience is wearing thin after nearly two years of waiting. "We reaffirm our willingness to prioritize dialogue and legal channels to obtain payment of our rights. However, after nearly 22 months of waiting and silence, we can no longer remain in this precarious and uncertain situation," the memorandum reads. The lack of salary has plunged many families into severe financial difficulties, with some workers struggling to meet basic household needs.

“

We reaffirm our willingness to prioritize dialogue and legal channels to obtain payment of our rights. However, after nearly 22 months of waiting and silence, we can no longer remain in this precarious and uncertain situation.