Kini Nsom
22 December 2008
An attempt by the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms to sack some 5000 temporary workers was recently rejected by MPs.Government had tabled bill No 827/PJL/AN that borders on settling disputes relating to temporary employment in the public service.
It sought validation for the dismissal of some 5,000 temporary workers and the integration of 9,500 others into the Public Service.Given that the dismissal of the workers would be in stark violation of the Labour Code, the bill provided that once dismissed, the workers would have no right to drag government to court.
This, The Post learnt, means that even if many of the workers are dismissed unjustly, they will have no one to complain to. While further explaining the provisions to Members of the committee on Constitutional Laws, Human Rights and Freedoms, Justice, Legislation and standing orders, the Minister of Public Service, Emmanuel Mbonde, said the bill was designed to pre-empt a flurry of disputes from those who would be sacked.
He said such disputes would be heard by a special commission to be set up in his ministry.
He said the bill was aimed at streamlining the payroll of temporary employees in order to ensure financial stringency and check the disorder noticed in the recruitment into Public Service.
The Minister declared that out of 17,000 temporary workers in the country, 9,500 would be integrated while 5,000 would be laid off.The bill ignited fireworks at the plenary with many MPs denouncing the fact that the Minister wanted to be party and judge in such disputes at the same time.
They castigated the idea, forcing the Minister to amend the provision. The amendment now provides that dismissed workers have a right to drag government to court if they feel cheated. The bill was finally adopted.
Going by the Labour Code, once a temporary worker exceeds the period of three months in his or her job, he or she is considered automatically permanent. It is in this perspective that observers hold that by sacking over 5000 workers, government is violating the law.
Against this backdrop, the Minister argued that those who are being sacked are people who were recruited irregularly. He said 43 percent of those who are being sacked were recruited after the July 16, 2006, deadline. He added that many others have died, gotten other jobs, resigned or simply caught up by age. He said government will pay 12 months salaries each to all those who would be laid off.
The notion of employing temporary workers was born in 1993, following the need to offset specific staff shortages in the administration in the light of economic constraints. But the recruitment of this category of workers was replete with a lot of fraud and tribalism. That is why MPs called on government to punish officials who were responsible for such recruitments.
The adoption of the bill in plenary ran through a storm of protest from some MPs. It was reported that 54 percent of the temporary workers came from the South and Centre Regions. All the three Northern Regions have less than 8 percent of the share.MPs from the Northern Regions took turns to condemn what they called marginalisation.
Hon. Sarli Dairou, from the Diamaré constituency in the Far North Region, said it was utmost provocation from people who did not like the peace that reigns in Cameroon.
Mohammadou Abakar warned that the Northerners have been sleeping blindly like sheep, ignoring all the injustices against them but warned that the provocation was becoming too much and would get the sheep out of slumber.
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