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For several months now, in response to the breakdown in social dialogue, teachers in Senegal have been mobilising in defence of their rights, quality public education, and the agreements signed with the government. The movement is led by the G7, a coalition of the seven most representative trade unions in Senegal’s education sector, including Educational International affiliates SELS (Free Teachers’ Union of Senegal) and UDEN (Democratic Union of Teachers of Senegal).

Strike action rooted in a long-standing social deficit

For the trade unions, the current strike is neither improvised nor a reaction to current circumstances. It is the result of a long period of unsatisfied demands, dating back to the 2018 agreements and the protocol of 26 February 2022. These texts set out clear commitments on the part of the state, such as an end to administrative delays, reform of the pay system and measures to address the situation of non-civil servant teachers.

Moreover, despite the state’s promise in 2023 to allocate plots of land in the form of joint development zones, only a fraction have been delivered.

“The strike is first and foremost a call for compliance with the agreements,” explains SELS General Secretary Amidou Diedhiou. He stresses that a number of key commitments, in particular those relating to the digitisation of administrative procedures, remain unfulfilled, with serious implications for the teaching profession.

Pay, status, and ongoing inequalities

One of the key demands is related to pay. A government-commissioned study was meant to pave the way for a structural reform of the pay system. According to the unions, however, this has been replaced by across-the-board increases that have only served to perpetuate the inequalities within the public sector.

“This pay rise maintains the disparity in the remuneration of Senegal’s public sector employees,” explains Amidou Diedhiou, underlining the injustice felt by education staff in relation to those in other areas such as the health service.

The situation of non-civil servant teachers is another major point of contention. Although decrees were signed in January 2026, the unions denounce the absence of any concrete measures to implement them, as well as the “derisory” pensions. The unions are pressing for the option to extend retirement age to 65 to enable non-civil servant teachers to work longer, if they so wish, to secure a slightly better pension.

Schools under pressure: teacher shortages and deteriorating conditions

Aside from the demands regarding the status of teachers, the unions are also highlighting the alarming decline in teaching conditions. The chronic shortage of teaching staff, exacerbated by the fact the retirees are not replaced and by the introduction of English in primary schools, is leading to overcrowded classrooms and the widespread use of precarious arrangements such as multi-grade or double-shift classes.

School operating budgets are also under attack. “Schools no longer receive an operating budget,” says Amidou Diedhiou, describing an underfunded education system that is struggling to fulfil its mission as a public service.

Breakdown in social dialogue

Union leaders are critical of the lack of structured dialogue with the authorities. Abdourrahmane Gueye, General Secretary of the UDEN (Democratic Union of Teachers of Senegal), denounces the failure to comply with the monitoring mechanism provided for in the 2022 agreements: “The monitoring committee, which was supposed to meet regularly, has never been respected by the government,” he says, arguing that this failure has led to the accumulation of a “social deficit” that needs to be cleared.

Wage penalties and radicalisation of the movement

Tensions were further heightened by the deductions made from the salaries of striking teachers – in a manner deemed arbitrary by the unions in some instances. These penalties have been seen as a provocation and have led to a hardening of the movement.

“Salaries were cut without respecting the actual number of strike days,” says Amidou Diedhiou, referring to it as “financial vandalism”.

What’s more, the head of the High Council for Social Dialogue, a former trade union leader, is using provocation and making head-on attacks on trade union representatives, he adds. “He is attacking us and trying to discredit us in the eyes of the public. We have declared the minister persona non grata, meaning that we will no longer meet with him around a negotiating table, and pointing out that his comments have contributed to the radicalisation of union organisations.”

According to the two union leaders, over 80% of teachers, particularly in rural areas, are following the strike calls, which speaks to the massive and determined nature of the mobilisation.

The G7: a platform for united action

In its Memorandum of 22 January 2026, the G7 issues a harsh assessment of the government’s inaction and calls for “the definitive clearing of the liabilities in terms of the agreements”, with measures such as the reactivation of the monitoring committee, pay equity, and an end to administrative delays.

This combative stance is confirmed in the statement of 23 February 2026, in which the G7 condemns “the Government’s inertia” and salutes “the massive support of teachers in the fight to make education a priority in Senegal”.

A fight that resonates beyond Senegal

In October 2025, Senegal’s trade unions had already organised a month of action, known as “Red October”. By mid-November 2025, in the absence of a response from the government, they had launched their action plans.

As the fifth trade union action plan culminated in an all-out strike on 6 March 2026, the fight by Senegal’s trade unions for the respect of the agreements signed, professional dignity, and the defence of public education is echoed by the struggles being waged in many other countries.

As the G7 cautions, only “a firm determination to address these grievances” will prevent lasting instability in the education system – a warning that resonates well beyond Senegal’s borders.

Education International calls on the Senegalese authorities to respond urgently and constructively to the legitimate demands of the G7 union platform, and to engage fully in social dialogue in the interests of education workers, students, and the future of Senegal.