Congo Ebola response workers protest over pay

BUNIA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Ebola response workers staged protests outside three treatment centers in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, saying they had not received the full payments owed for their work.

The demonstrations took place outside the Centre Medical Evangelique (CME), Elikya, and Salama treatment centers in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, the region hardest hit by the outbreak. Police dispersed one of the protests outside the CME, although it was not immediately clear whether operations at the treatment centers were affected.

The Ebola outbreak has infected 1,759 people and claimed 600 confirmed lives since it was declared on May 15, according to the latest government data released on Wednesday.

Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba acknowledged challenges in managing the response workforce, particularly in ensuring that payment lists were accurate and up to date.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said it was working with Congolese authorities to speed up payments to frontline health workers. Africa CDC official Wessam Mankoula said the agency had provided about $2 million to support the country's Ebola response, with part of the funding available to cover delayed payments.

A Congolese health official, who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said discussions were ongoing with workers threatening to strike, but no strike had begun.

In a July 5 letter addressed to Ituri provincial officials, Ebola response workers said they had not been paid for services rendered since the outbreak began. They also said current compensation did not reflect the risks and workload associated with responding to the disease.

The workers called for higher daily allowances and the removal of income tax deductions, arguing that the payments should be treated as bonuses rather than salaries.

The World Health Organization said this week that transmission of the Ebola strain remains ongoing. The disease has a fatality rate of 30% to 50%, and there is currently no approved vaccine or cure for this particular strain. -Reporting by Fiston Mahamba and Clement Bonnerot;Additional reporting by Sfundo Parakozov;Writing by Amindeh Blaise Atabong; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Philippa Fletcher/Reuters