In Antananarivo, work does not stop at nightfall. Drivers, company employees, security guards, and other workers continue their activities until late hours. For them, the difficulty is not limited to the schedule; the commute home is also a source of concern, especially in sparsely populated or hard-to-reach areas.
Every night, law enforcement conducts checks on certain routes. People traveling must present their identity cards. For workers finishing their shifts after midnight, these checks are part of their daily commute, and they must remain vigilant until they reach home.
Felanaina, a night worker, finishes her shift around 1 a.m. “We head home around 1 a.m. Our house is quite far from the main road, and we still have to walk through an alleyway to get there. That is why the driver and his assistant accompany us, along with other employees in the car, right to our gate,” she testifies. Staff transport helps reduce some of the risks associated with the commute. However, vehicles cannot always enter the small lanes leading to homes, forcing some employees to walk the final stretch on foot.
For drivers, working at night also means dealing with police checks and traffic in less frequented areas. Rado, a driver, explains: “We work mostly at night. There are police officers who check us and ask for ID cards. They also recognize us as drivers transporting workers.”
These accounts show that the organization of night work does not end at the workplace. The conditions of the commute remain a challenge for employees leaving their posts at hours when traffic is reduced. Between police checks, difficult access, and walking, vigilance accompanies workers all the way home.
For now, no specific measures from the authorities regarding the safety of these workers have been reported. Their situation remains to be monitored, particularly regarding provisions for securing nighttime travel. Caution remains the order of the day until they reach home.
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-06 06:09:20 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/insecurite-les-travailleurs-de-nuit.html