The Association of Traders and Industrialists of Senegal has started a general strike starting this Monday, September 25, 2023 until further notice. In a press conference, the collective bringing together traders, transporters and freight forwarders in the country demands the total satisfaction of its platform of demands. It demands, among other things, the removal of non-approved sections on invoicing, the removal of the overload invoice, the non-respect of truckers and delivery times, the provision of the invoice 72 hours before the arrival of the ship, the decongestion of the port (…).

"All the operators of the Autonomous Port of Dakar have enormous difficulties with the shipping companies and Dp World. Indeed, after having carried out their operations of removing containers of goods, we have problems with the shipping companies that own the arrival notices that we do not receive on time.

We are no longer able to pay the bills because receiving the bills "costs" us the 10-day package that we have. The BADs that are not distributed to us on time impact on the demurrage and storage that we are forced to pay. (…) Today, the trucks that have to take containers inside Dp World are having difficulties.

Namely, the lack of respect of truckers who remain in their trucks for more than two or three days without working, the non-delivery of containers that must leave the port puts traders and economic operators in difficulty. The return of empties is more than serious insofar as even after unloading, trucks remain with empty containers for several days and this impacts operations, "they lament.

According to the members of the collective, "all these accumulated facts mean that Senegalese economic operators can no longer cope. Because, they explain, "all the additional costs of goods have repercussions on consumers. And this is felt through the household basket."

This is why they demand total satisfaction on the promises made to them by the Prime Minister Amadou Ba two months ago. Failing which, they will move up a gear.

Seneweb.com: Absa DIONGUE