The ITUC denounces the arrest and imprisonment of Zotiakobanjinina Fanja Marcel Sento, a trade union leader in Madagascar.

He was sentenced to 12 months in prison with a fine of US$92 (MGA400,000), an amount that represents approximately 75 per cent of the average monthly salary in Madagascar, for a social media post... Mr Sento was elected as a trade union representative on 16 June 2022 on behalf of workers in the textile company E-TOILE.S.A. – a subsidiary of the European group ALSICO.

As part of his union activities, Mr Sento published the outcomes of four meetings held with the management of the company in June and July on his Facebook account. On 28 August 2022, Mr Sento was taken to a detention centre for “publishing his views without the authority of the company”.

In a letter to the Prime Minster of Madagascar... the ITUC demanded the release of Mr Sento. However, the government merely reduced his sentence from 12 to 8 months in prison. The ITUC condemns such criminalisation of collective bargaining discussions...