Health workers continue strike despite arrest of colleagues.

The health personnel, who have been on strike over irregular contract situation amongst other grievances, returned to the esplanade of the Ministry of Public Health yesterday.

This was after the arrest and detention of some of the protesters earlier on Monday.

On Monday, about twenty protesting health workers at the esplanade of the health ministry, were bundled up by police officers into a pick-up van. 

They were later whisked off to the Yaounde Central Police Station No. 1.

After being detained for several hours, coupled with yet another spade of protest in front of the police station, The Guardian Post gathered that they were released on the instruction of the Senior Divisional Officer of Mfoundi, Emmanuel Djikdent. 

Speaking on the arrest of their colleagues, the President of the National Union of Health Personnel and Companies of Cameroon better known by its French acronym CAP/Santé, Sylvain Nga Onana, said the SDO ordered for the arrest for none obtention of authorisation to protest. 

“…they came to challenge us, telling us that it was the SDO who decided it on the pretext that we did not ask for authorisation to demonstrate,” the trade unionist said. 

“When you have the right to strike, I don't think it’s still necessary to ask for permission to demonstrate,” Nga Onana added before vowing to continue the strike action. 

Yesterday, the protesting workers returned to the esplanade of the public health ministry carrying placards demanding urgent action from the Minister of Public Health, Dr Manaouda Malachie.’

They have vowed to continue with their daily five-hour industrial action in front of the ministry, regional delegation of public health and their respective hospitals until their demands are met.

Since May 21, the temporary health personnel from the Yaounde Emergency Centre of the Central Hospital and Jamot Hospital as well as the District Hospitals of Mvog-Ada, Efoulan, Cité-Verte, and Nkoldongo. 

The protesting workers have made a 17-point demands, including affiliation to the National Social Insurance Fund, the payment of quotas and most importantly their integration into the public service. 

The unionists are said to have held meetings with the Minister of Public health and his collaborators which ended in stalemate. 

At the end of yet another consultation with the trade unionists on June 3, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Grégoire Owona, promised a progressive response to their grievances within 3 months. 

He had urged the striking workers to resume service, pending a new consultation that had been planned for June 5.

An estimated 27,000 temporary workers notably caregivers, nurses, stretcher bearers, and laboratory technicians, are said to be living in precarious conditions as they are often paid below the guaranteed inter-professional minimum wage set at about 41,875 FCFA. 

Some of the protesters are said to have been working for more or less than 18 years of service without integration into public service.