But staff representatives oppose, write to Biya to salvage company
BY ATIA TILARIOUS AZOHNWI
The Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) is contemplating laying off
thousands of workers as the socio-political unrest in the North West and South
West Regions deepens.
During a meeting, Friday, June 8, 2018 at the Senior Service (SS) Club
Bota chaired by CDC General Manager, Franklin Njie, staff representatives were
told that the corporation plans to lay-off workers in estates badly affected by
the civil unrest.
Going by a report presented on May 8, 2018 during a meeting attended by
17 persons including CDC management staff, labour administrators and trade union
leaders, “the crisis is taking a toll on the socio-economic situation of
workers as several establishments are no longer in operation given that workers,
out of fear and threats on their lives no longer go to work”.
In the document forwarded to government, attendees of the May 8 meeting
agreed that many CDC camps have been deserted by the workers.
The social partners of the CDC meeting in the May 8, 2018 Extra-Ordinary
Joint Industrial Council were mindful of the existence of about twenty thousand
contracts of employment and the related monthly wage bill of about FCFA 2.5
billion.
“Considering the fact that production activities have ceased in many of
the estates and industrial units; taking into account the likely deterioration
of the existing socio-economic situation;” the CDC social partners recommended
that “the government should take hasty measures to redress this situation so
that social peace and economic revival be restored in CDC establishments.”
Gabriel Mbene Vefonge, President of the Divisional
Syndicate of Agricultural Workers in Fako, DISAWOFA, who attended both meetings (on
May 8 and June 8, 2018) told The SUN that the move to lay off thousands of
workers in about nine CDC estates is in line with a ministerial order that
spells out how workers who are victims of a prolonged force majeure can be
indemnified and laid off.
“If such a force majeure goes for up to six months,
then the contract will have to be terminated. In the course of the discussions
and debates, the workers felt that it was an unhealthy situation – one which is
sensitive and has to do with almost the whole of CDC. This may throw CDC in
total confusion, which means that the social climate in the North West and
South West Regions is going to aggravate if CDC workers are thrown into the
streets,” Mbene said by telephone.
He said the General Manager gave a rundown which shows
that nine estates were already affected by the crisis as at June 7, 2018. They
include Mondoni Estate, Meanja Estate, Malende Estate, Moungo Palms Estate,
Mokonje Estate, Tombel Estate, Mbonge Estate, the Boa Palms Project, Illoani
Estate and the Illoani Oil Mill.
Mbene estimates that “we may be talking about laying-off
between 4,000 and 5,000 workers. The danger is that the situation may soon
affect all the workers given that the crisis is growing like magma, moving from
one estate to another.”
The staff representatives told management that they
are not comfortable that the law be applied as it is, given that the situation
is very sensitive and the outcome may not be too good for government to manage.
The SUN learnt that the staff representatives have addressed
a memo to the Head of State, President Paul Biya, calling on him to take urgent
measures to rescue the situation.
They want the state to take its responsibility as
owner of 100 percent shares of the corporation, which responsibility includes
and is not limited to providing money for the payment of salaries and seeking
measures to resolve the current crisis.
The Communications and Public Relations Manager of the
CDC, Manyanye Ikome was not immediately available to react, despite calls
placed to his line.
First published in The SUN Newspaper No. 0494 of Monday,
June 11, 2018
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