Cheikh Diop, Secretary General of the CNTS/Force of Change, who came to preside over the Congress for the renewal of the mandate of the Secretary General of the Unified Union of Railway Workers (SUTRAIL), Babacar Gaye, who was unanimously re-elected, recalled that "the union demand must be considered as a factor of progress and not as a means of blackmail".

With this objective in mind, he says he has always, alongside his SUTRAIL colleagues, championed the demand for the renewal of the railway sector in general.

According to him, no country can develop without a high-performing rail network or road network. That is why, he said, "we remain committed to working alongside them to ensure that the Senegalese road and rail networks are taken care of by the authorities, not only for their renewal but also for their effective revitalization. Today, we are pleased to see that this is a concern that the authorities share."

The congress took place in the context of negotiations for new company agreements, and Cheikh Diop told the Transrail authorities: "We stand with our union, with the Inter-union group, so that we can find a consensual company agreement that takes reality into account, especially regarding fixed-term contracts that are renewed several times and are not permanent, among other things."

The Secretary General of SUTRAIL, Babacar Gaye, who is beginning a second term at the head of this structure, highlighted the issue of reviving the railway which, he says, will be at the heart of his action during the next five years.

"Today, we have already taken a first step, where we have recorded some progress, particularly in terms of respect for workers' rights. We are now considering the prospects," he said.

Furthermore, the union representative emphasized a number of projects that remain to be completed, including "finalizing the company agreement initiated a few months ago, respecting the direction discussed and validated during the general assembly on public transport, where stakeholders agreed to work towards the rehabilitation and modernization of the railway network, in order to have a high-performing railway that will contribute to the recovery of socio-economic development."

Babacar Gaye finally called on the authorities to "be consistent and coherent in their approach. We started studies of the situation in November, which constitute the first phase. At the end, we want the State to accelerate things, by finding funding that will allow us to start the construction projects as quickly as possible."