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Cameroon: Ex-Workers of Liquidated Corporations Threaten to Strike
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The Post (Buea)
3 April 2008
Posted to the web 3 April 2008
Christopher Jator Njechu
Former workers of liquidated and restructured state corporations across the country are on the verge of an imminent strike over unpaid dues.
The announcement is contained in a memo addressed to the Prime Minister on March 24, signed by 30 civil society organisations for the defence of the workers' rights.
In the memo, the former workers pledged to launch a sit-in strike from April 3 never to recess until the arrear dues and other rights they have been asking for 16 years from some 50 liquidated and restructured state corporations are paid.
In a phone interview with the representative of the Southwest Former Workers for Restructured State Corporations, Ndumbe Lyonga, revealed that "some 45,000 of them would be joined by over 7,000 children of ex-workers who have suffered bane and whose future has undoubtedly been compromised by an administration that takes penchant in street demonstrations and public anger."
Ndumbe said over 15,000 dependants, spouses and children are living in abject poverty; with hunger, disease, misery and trauma, and resort to crime as a result of government's negligence about their well-being.
He warned that the planned strike, unlike that of the civil servants and contract teachers that have failed, would, in his words, "light the candle until it burns out naturally."
Ndumbe chastised the regime for what he termed "gross negligence and incompetence to resolve issues apiece."
He said it was unbelievable that government should assume silence over such a plight of the people, noting that the former workers' groupings have on several occasions written to the administration, through the Prime Minister's office but never received any response.
It is on these grounds that the angry former workers dispatched copies of the memorandum to the World Bank, IMF, US Embassy, British High Commission and other foreign organisations in the country.
The angry citizens are former workers of the following state corporations; MATGENIE, FONADER, MIDEVIV, SOTUC, ONCPB, SODECAO, NPMB, ONAB, CENADEC, CENADEFOR, ONAREF, OPA, etc, that were either liquidated or restructured without integrating the interest of most of its workers.
After much letter writing shortly after liquidation, the government showed little interest in their problem by creating a commission to evaluate their social rights and other entitlements.
The commission that was created on July 10, 2006, completed its work in September 200. But since then the results of the evaluation have never seen light.
According to Ndumbe, the commission members were paid for their work but the rights of the former workers have been abused."The Minister of Finance since then has been telling us to wait. We can't wait indefinitely, it is our right. Let the government pay us. Some of our colleagues are now crying for justice from the grave," he fumed.
Another disgruntled ex-worker, Collins Tchumi, Representative General of the ex-workers said the strike would be legal because they have given government enough time react.
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He said even the planned strike is provoked by the Prime Minister who would not, on five different occasions, grant them audience.
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