Leocadia Bongben
25 February 2008
A strike action announced for today, Monday, February 25, by Yaounde taxi driver and trade unions has been cancelled.
Following about 10 hours of heated debate with the Ministers of Labour and Social Security, Robert Nkili, Commerce and Trade, Luc Malgloire Mbarga Atangana, Secretary of State for Transport, Mefiri Oumarou, and Governor of Centre Province, Koumpa Issa, the trade union leaders decided to suspend the strike action and pursue dialogue.
This decision, however, divided the leaders as some were for the strike to go on. The grievances of the transporters were summed under six main headings, with the abuses of the city council and fuel prices being topping the chart. They complained that the city council collects as much as FCFA 25, 000 instead of 1,000 to 5000 for illegal parking.
They argued that the follow-up committee put up in 2002 failed. This, they blamed on the absence of dialogue between the transporters and the Government Delegate, who out rightly refused dialogue. They demanded that payment should be done in the Treasury and receipts given.
A meeting has been scheduled with the Minister of Transport on Wednesday, February 27, to examine the legality of the problematic decision No. 350/CUY of October 21, 2006.
According to the decision, the price of fuel cannot be changed from FCFA 600 to FCFA 500 per litre as demanded by the trade unions.
The Hydrocarbons Price Stabilisation Fund was faulted for increasing the price of fuel without prior announcement as had been agreed during a prior meeting with transporters. Meanwhile, Mbarga Atangana had earlier on, during the meeting, stated that it is only in June when the triennial programme with IMF would end that the price of fuel can be looked at.
Government equally agreed to look into issues of insurance companies, collective convention for transporters and the application of the new criminal procedure code concerning payment of fines.
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a cameroonian based in Europe,happy to sing in to this programm to be receiving NEWS from my country.Thank you