At workshop in Yaounde: Minister urges media owners to harmonise working conditions for employees.

The workshop was to vulgarise the international labour norms ratified by Cameroon to the benefit of media men and women.

The workshop had as aim to publicise the 51 conventions ratified by Cameroon in 1998 and amended in 2022. 

These conventions allow for freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining and further underline the need for employers to guarantee a safe and healthy working environment for workers.

The workshop was attended by media practitioners drawn from the private media organs and officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Participants were enlightened on the tools for preserving skills in their media houses for decent work.

The media men and women who took part in the Yaounde workshop, took turns in sharing their professional experiences and challenges faced at their job sites. 

It was also used to address the fundamental principles and rights of workers for the promotion of justice and decent work.

The working standards of private media organs as per the International Labour Organisation, states that every man and woman should have access to decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity.

Minister Gregoire Owona’s representative presented a paper on the 51 conventions ratified by Cameroon and the impact of their violation on the Cameroonian economy.

She made it known that the International Labour Organisation was created to consolidate social peace in industrialised countries and establish international regulations in the face of competition. 

“With regards to the interactive session today, we think the objective of publicising the standards ratified by Cameroon for the International Labour Organisation has been reached and our objectives are beginning to be achieved,” Angonemane Mvondo said.

She added that: “There is now much more visibility as it is a bridge that has being established to involve more journalists to be aware of the role the International Labour Organisation plays for them as it is the minister’s cry to see workers of the private media well taken care of”.

Enter MINTSS Technical Adviser 

On her part, the Technical Adviser at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Galega Njiwam, talked about the industrial relations and the promotion of decent work in journalism and information and social communication.

Galega mentioned the need for employers to respect the collective agreement, emphasising on the industrial relationship between employers, workers and the government.

“…the working conditions of private media workers needs to be improved, workers are not well paid and have horrible working conditions and employers should be able to respect minimum salary wage,” Galega said. 

She added that: “More awareness needs to be created on the importance of private media organs while urging the journalist to continue seeking for a better working condition”.

Challenges brought forward by journalists 

The Yaounde workshop was also an opportunity for media practitioners to voice out the numerous problems they are faced with.

They presented the situation of majority of journalists working in private media without any work contracts 

According to freelance journalist, Takang Bisong, “most journalists today don’t have contracts because when they go looking for a job, they employ them as professional interns and from there to workers and that’s how they end up not signing any contract”.

Also, the argument of government giving priority to the public media while the private media have to do a lot with just little means was also raised.

They equally complained of the difficulty of accessing information, stressing that most government officials are not opened to the private press. This, they said, makes their work very difficult.

The officials of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security said they had taken not the grievances and advised the journalists to prove their worth by giving their profession some level of dignity.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No3127 of Friday May 31, 2024