特威福德陶瓷：塞内加尔一家中国工厂的幻灭

这家中资公司于 2019 年启动，并于 2020 年 1 月由时任国家元首麦基·萨尔 (Macky Sall) 大张旗鼓地揭幕，其投资额为 550 亿非洲法郎（8300 万欧元），旨在帮助蒂耶斯地区减少青年失业率创造 1,500 个直接就业岗位。但很快，失望就降临了。

Cheikh, 31, who prefers to use a false name to maintain his anonymity, has fond memories of being hired as a technician by Twyford Ceramics in Sindia, Senegal, five years ago. The young man, who has just completed a master’s degree in finance at the Cheikh-Anta-Diop University in Dakar, is brimming with confidence. He moved in and rented a small room of just 20 square metres near the tile factory. “It was my first job, I was happy to have a work contract,” he explains.

31 岁的谢赫喜欢使用假名来保持匿名，他对五年前被塞内加尔辛迪亚的特威福德陶瓷公司聘为技术员的经历有着美好的回忆。这位刚刚在达喀尔谢赫-安塔-迪奥普大学完成金融硕士学位的年轻人信心十足。他搬了进去，在瓷砖厂附近租了一间只有20平方米的小房间。 “这是我的第一份工作，我很高兴能签订工作合同，”他解释道。

Like him, many in the region believed in it. Launched in 2019 but inaugurated with great fanfare by the then Head of State, Macky Sall, in January 2020, the Chinese-owned company and its 55 billion CFA francs (83 million euros) invested were supposed to enable the Thiès region to reduce youth unemployment by creating 1,500 direct jobs. But disillusionment quickly set in.

像他一样，该地区的许多人都相信这一点。这家中资公司于 2019 年启动，并于 2020 年 1 月由时任国家元首麦基·萨尔 (Macky Sall) 大张旗鼓地揭幕，其投资额为 550 亿非洲法郎（8300 万欧元），旨在帮助蒂耶斯地区减少青年失业率创造 1,500 个直接就业岗位。但很快，失望就降临了。

Every day, the company’s employees take turns at their workplaces every twelve hours, often without a break for lunch. Some start their rotation at 7:30 a.m., others at 7:30 p.m. and up to 200,000 CFA francs (305 euros) for supervisors (risk, performance, seniority and laundry bonuses included). According to studies, the average salary in Senegal varies between 100,000 CFA francs (150 euros) and 150,000 CFA francs (228 euros). “It is a lack of consideration, they are exploiting us,” Cheikh complains, looking at the pile of his pay slips. Five years during which he would have been entitled to 120 days’ leave, but he only had 40 days’ leave.

每天，该公司的员工每十二个小时轮流到工作地点，通常没有午休时间。有些是早上 7:30 开始轮换，有些是晚上 7:30 开始轮换，主管的奖金高达 200,000 非洲法郎（305 欧元）（包括风险、绩效、资历和洗衣奖金）。根据研究，塞内加尔的平均工资在 100,000 非洲法郎（150 欧元）到 150,000 非洲法郎（228 欧元）之间变化。 “这是缺乏考虑，他们在剥削我们，”谢赫看着他的一堆工资单抱怨道。五年间，他本来可以享受120天的假期，但他只有40天的假期。

In addition to extended working hours, there are working conditions described as: “inhuman” by many employees. “Until a few weeks ago we had no drinking water,” Ousmane, who also chose to appear under a false name, was outraged.

除了延长工作时间外，还有被许多员工描述为“不人道”的工作条件。 “直到几周前，我们还没有饮用水，”同样选择以假名出现的奥斯曼感到愤怒。

“Nor personal protective equipment, such as shoes, helmets or gloves for cutting tiles,” adds one of his colleagues, lifting the hem of his trousers to show a scar from a recent work accident. It must also be said that the Chinese mistreat us, they talk to us like animals, they infantilize us and sometimes they come to blows.

“也没有个人防护装备，例如用于切割瓷砖的鞋子、头盔或手套，”他的一位同事补充道，他抬起裤脚，露出最近一次工作事故留下的伤疤。还必须指出的是，中国人虐待我们，他们像动物一样对我们说话，他们把我们当作婴儿，有时还打架。

Almost 90% of employees have fixed-term contracts

近90%的员工签订了定期合同

The Inspector General of Labour and Social Security, Tene Gaye, remembers these difficult working conditions well: “During my first visit in 2019, Senegalese labour standards were not respected. According to my report at the time, I issued a notice with 29 points of non-compliance, including the absence of an occupational health committee, hygiene or individual work equipment. »

劳工和社会保障监察长 Tene Gaye 对这些艰苦的工作条件记忆犹新：“在我 2019 年第一次访问塞内加尔期间，塞内加尔的劳工标准没有得到尊重。根据我当时的报告，我发出了一份通知，其中有29项不合规之处，包括没有职业健康委员会、卫生或个人工作设备。 »

According to the labour inspector, the precarious nature of contracts poses many problems. According to him, nearly 90% of employees are on fixed-term contracts (CDD). And rightly so: Twyford Ceramics benefits from the approval of the investment code, a document issued by the Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Major Works, which allows it to deviate from certain principles of labour law in Senegal, including the renewal of fixed-term contracts. “Normally it is double the maximum, but this approval gives the possibility of infinite renewal over five years,” says Abdou Aziz Sy, treasurer of the Democratic Union of Workers of Senegal. The State has done many favours for investment, but in exchange this has created very precarious and indecent jobs. »

劳动监察员表示，合同的不稳定性质带来了许多问题。据他介绍，近90%的员工签订的是定期合同（CDD）。正确的是：Twyford Ceramics 受益于投资法规的批准，该法规是投资和重大工程促进局发布的一份文件，该文件允许其偏离塞内加尔劳动法的某些原则，包括更新固定工资定期合同。塞内加尔民主工人联盟财务主管阿卜杜·阿齐兹·西（Abdou Aziz Sy）表示：“通常是最高限额的两倍，但这次批准提供了五年内无限续约的可能性。”国家为投资提供了许多优惠，但换来的却是创造了非常不稳定和不体面的就业机会。 »

“We are in ejection seats,” Cheikh is concerned, with a fixed-term contract for five years, renewable initially every three months, then every six months and now every year. “There were many covert dismissals of people who were at the end of their contracts,” Inspector Tene Gaye supports. In 2021, for example, the contracts of 18 people were not renewed at the same time. They had all just joined a union. » The company says that this legislation undermines the freedom of collective organisation and representation of workers, which are normally guaranteed in Senegal. In fact, no union has been formed in the company since then.

“我们坐在弹射座椅上，”谢赫担心，他的固定期限合同为期五年，最初每三个月更新一次，然后每六个月更新一次，现在每年更新一次。 “有很多合同即将到期的人被秘密解雇，”督察特内·盖伊表示支持。以2021年为例，有18人没有同时续签合同。他们都刚刚加入一个工会。 » 该公司表示，这项立法破坏了塞内加尔通常保障的集体组织自由和工人代表权。事实上，从那时起，公司就没有成立工会。

Although changes have been made since 2019, many adjustments still need to be made to ensure that the tile factory is once again compliant with Senegalese regulations. In 2024, it also attracted the attention of the new authorities, whose president elected in March, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, is making his first trip to China on the occasion of the 9th my forum for China-Africa cooperation. “We have received auditors sent by the State, this time from Dakar and not from the regional office in Thiès,” whispers a staff representative.

尽管自2019年以来已经发生了变化，但仍需要进行许多调整，以确保瓷砖厂再次符合塞内加尔法规。 2024年，这也引起了新一届当局的关注，今年3月当选的总统巴西鲁·迪奥马耶·法耶将在第九届中非合作论坛之际首次访华。 “我们收到了国家派来的审计员，这次是来自达喀尔，而不是来自蒂耶斯地区办事处，”一名员工代表低声说道。

Most recently, the International Finance Corporation, a private sector-focused subsidiary of the World

最近，国际金融公司（International Finance Corporation）是世界银行的一家专注于私营部门的子公司。