Camair-Co pilots threaten strike over poor pay, working conditions.

Through their union known as “Syndicate of Pilots of Cameroon Line”, the pilots are said to have addressed a correspondence to the Regional Delegate of Labour and Social Security for the Littoral to denounce the current management of the institution.

French language newspaper, EcoMatin, reported that pilots are making three key demands. The media report cites the workers are demanding an improvement in salary treatment. 

The workers, the report added, want to be paid based on the time spent serving the company and not solely on the basis of accumulated flight hours. 

The workers have also expressed their frustrations regarding the working conditions accorded to military pilots, whom they accuse of being “better treated” and “having more significant responsibilities” that entitle them to “more advantages”. The aggrieved workers also questioned the “lack of vision” within the company.

A top official of the company, contacted by EcoMatin, to react to the grievances, said salary-related issues should not be subject to any protest since the payment structure for Camair-Co personnel is in line with the standards and reforms established by the airline. 

“In the more or less distant past, when there were fewer flights, pilots were paid based on their presence, whether they flew or not; there were fewer flights,” the official stated, adding that consequently, pilots spent more time in the office. 

“This time was added to their flight hours. Thus, at the end of the month, some could end up with a salary exceeding 5 million FCFA. Today they are paid based on a structure that includes only the actual flight hours completed,” the official clarified. 

The Camair-Co official went further to add that: “...since the arrival of the current CEO, staff have no longer experienced delays in salary payments”. 

Regarding the alleged favoritism of military pilots, the source clarified that they are not new recruits but former pilots. 

“They have been here since 2010 to support the national airline in light of the pilot shortage faced by the global air transport industry,” the source explained. 

As for the third demand, the senior official explains that the company has a strong vision for 2024. 

The company recently announced the entry into service of new aircraft and the upcoming return of its second Boeing 737-700, whose maintenance work is nearly completed with Ethiopian Airlines to strengthen its fleet currently consisting of six aircrafts. 

Camair-Co is said to be undergoing restructuring due to some financial difficulties since it began operations in 2011. 

In a correspondence dated July 14, 2020, the Presidency of the Republic instructed the Prime Minister to urgently develop, in collaboration with the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Camair-Co and the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority, CCAA, a restructuring, recovery, and development plan for the company, with a view to opening its capital by 51% to a private strategic partner. The restructuring is still awaited for four years now.

By Bernis Mfomo (Journalism students on internship)

This story was first Published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3194 of Friday August 09, 2024