Port autonome de Lomé agents call three-day strike for late June 2026

Workers at the Autonomous Port of Lomé are set to down tools for three days, from 25 to 27 June 2026, after the local union filed a strike notice demanding action on unmet social and professional grievances. The move follows months of general assemblies held since October 2025, which the staff say yielded insufficient progress.

Mounting social tensions

Social strains remain high at the Port autonome de Lomé. Employees have long complained about arduous working conditions, including low wages, inadequate accident compensation, and a lack of safety equipment at several locations. Despite repeated alerts, the union leadership argues that negotiations with management have failed to produce concrete results.

The situation affects a vital economic hub. The port employs more than 3,000 dockers and other workers, whose roles are central to Togo’s economy. For the strikers, the fight goes beyond internal demands—it is about safeguarding the smooth operation of a key national asset.

Demands on the table

In its official statement, the union calls for the creation of a unified staff status covering all personnel, respect for daily rest breaks and weekly rest periods, and the granting of annual leave along with its corresponding allowance. It also demands that the collective bargaining agreement be extended to workers classified as “pointers” (checkers) who are assimilated to dockers.

Further demands include the proper payment of overtime hours as per regulations, the registration of all casual dockers with the Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale (national social security fund), and the introduction of a dirtiness allowance and a handling premium. The union also insists that the date of recruitment be taken into account throughout a worker’s career at the port, and that job classifications and associated benefits clearly appear on payslips.

Call to action

The union urges all Port autonome de Lomé staff to cease work during the three-day strike and not to report to their posts. It emphasises, however, that the right to strike is individual, leaving each worker free to participate or not.

This announced work stoppage once again puts the port’s management in the hot seat. For a strategic enterprise already burdened by heavy debt, resolving this labour conflict is now a matter of both stability and good governance.