Strike observed in Bujumbura

A trade union strike which began in Bujumbura on Monday, continued Tuesday, although the government said it was not widely observed and those who stayed away did so because they were “threatened”. Government spokesman Luc Rukingama told Burundi radio the private sector was working as normal, while in the parastatals some people turned up and others stayed away. The BBC Kirundi service reported that the strike went off peacefully. Speaking over the radio, a trade union spokesman Benoit Ndayibarira denied that workers had been intimidated to stay away. He further denied that the trade unions were working for opposition politicians. “When a person’s salary is no longer commensurate with current economic realities, if people’s salaries are heavily taxed and all prices are hiked, how do politics come into this?” he asked. Bujumbura citizens told IRIN that schools, hospitals and parastatals observed the strike call.