LOME, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Togolese government and the Federation of Unions of teachers have signed a memorandum of understanding on the payment of bonuses and allowances in order to avoid crisis situations during exam periods, the national radio has reported.

    The signing of the agreement came at a time when teachers across the country have started to agitate and express a wide range of grievances regarding their working conditions and general living standards.

    The teachers, according to their labor unions, were preparing to launch a strike and down their tools at a particularly critical time as the date for sitting the first part of the secondary school leaving examinations (Baccalaureate) is set for early June, according to the radio station.

    "The government has taken the measure with the expectation that it would be able to avoid disturbances on substantive claims by teachers before, during and after the school examinations," said an education ministry official.

    Speaking to the press in the capital Lome, Togolese Primary and Secondary Education Minister Yves Madow Nagou said that "negotiations which led to the signing of the protocol agreement had been held for a period of one year."

    "This agreement means that we will now be able to organize the end of the year examinations in a completely serene and tranquil environment," said the minister, adding that the government had always been committed to improving the welfare of all public sector employees.

    Addressing the same gathering, Higher Education and Research Minister Adimado Aduayom on his part said that "the effort made in the agreement regarding the BAC II (the second part of the examinations) represents about 133 percent compared to that of 2005."

    Owing to faltering purchasing power and the skyrocketing staple food prices, Togolese workers and even ordinary citizens have been calling on the government to take decisive measures to address their plight.

    The agreement with the teachers is therefore seen as a major boost in this regard, according to a labor union official, who expressed gratitude to both sides of the negotiations.