Five Securiport Staff Delegates Reject Defamation Claims in Senegal Workplace Dispute

Editorial note: This archive item reproduces or summarizes third-party material supplied to the newsroom. Allegations remain attributed to the speakers or outlets identified and should not be read as independent judicial findings by this publication.

Five employee representatives at Securiport in Senegal rejected accusations that they had helped place damaging claims about the company in a newspaper, turning an internal labour dispute into a matter for police investigators in July 2024.

The delegates were questioned by the Division des investigations criminelles, or DIC, after a sixth staff representative lodged a complaint. The complainant alleged that her colleagues were involved in a published account that could undermine the company's chances of renewing an approaching contract, according to reporting published on 24 July 2024.

The five representatives denied the allegation. They said they had tried to raise workplace concerns through internal channels and argued that the dispute was being used to damage their standing with management. They also said witnesses interviewed during the inquiry had not supported the accusation against them.

The delegates subsequently reported filing their own complaint alleging defamation and false denunciation. Both sides' accounts are allegations, and the retrieved material does not establish a final police or court finding.

The confrontation sits against a longer dispute over pay, working conditions and labour representation at Blaise Diagne International Airport. Staff representatives affiliated with SYNPAAS said they wanted improved working conditions while seeking continuity of the company's contract.