Minimum wage still a quandary in Cameroon.

Despite a slim increase of the minimum wage in Cameroon from 37,000 to 41.875 FCFA, and a hike in salaries of state employees by 5.2 percent, trade unionists are not satisfied.

Members of the Cameroon Agricultural and Allied Workers Trade Union, CAAWOTU, have resolved that there is an urgent need for a national debate on the minimum wage in order to protect the future of labour and avoid strikes in the country.

It was one of the key resolutions adopted at the end of a national conference that held in Tiko on Thursday March 2. It was organised by CAAWOTU, in collaboration with its allies, with the technical support of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Welcoming participants, the National President of CAAWOTU, Gabriel Mbene Vefonge, said the conference was an opportunity for them to reflect on a series of burning issues in the society amongst which is the recent minimum wage in Cameroon.

“We are here to reflect on the future of labour as capital, a resource and factor of production which industrialists are yet to give it the value it deserves,” Mbene stressed.

He added that the state of Cameroon was sensitive to the topic and that the meeting may not be the last until a tripartite solution is arrived at. He assured stakeholders that they shall not go to the streets to strike, which is why they opted to discuss around the table. Mbene, however, expressed regret at the fact that in recent times, labour has been a victim with glaring examples of workers of PHP, Pamol and CDC.

In concord, Oustan Ngome of FENASY-TRAFBACAM, decried the neglect of the labour market by both private sector employers and government as well.

For the government, the South West Regional Delegate of Labour and Social Security, Yvette Lyonga, who represented the Minister of Labour, said the daunting challenges faced by the labour market cannot be addressed alone by the state, which is why the active participation of trade unions in all labour-related aspects was very fundamental.

“In Cameroon, the government has sufficiently liberalised the creation of trade unions and guarantees the free exercise of their activities. Fortunately, majority of the trade unions are carrying out their activities responsibly as it is evident by this present gathering spearheaded by CAAWOTU,” she said.

She thus, used the opportunity to urge trade unions to rethink their strategies. “Trade unions need to rethink traditional forms of negotiations and develop new forms of collective bargaining so as to cope with the changes in the globalised labour market. All these efforts by government are complemented by activities of trade unions that fall directly in line with higher recommendations of the International Labour Organisation, ILO, which strives to ensure that all forms of work should be accompanied with the characteristics of decent work. The government of Cameroon is doing everything possible to translate this ILO vision into our domestic laws,” Yvette Lyonga explained.

Expatiating on the theme: “The Future of Labour, Decent Work and Challenges of a Living Wage in Cameroon” the Minister’s representative insisted that the topic matches the actual context in Cameroon, whereby labour is threatened more than ever before as decent work is just a slogan, all leaving the minimum wage to be an unachievable goal. She called on workers to overcome their challenges and for employers to cater for their workers in a responsible and transparent manner.

Decent work, however, requires decent pay, especially in the agricultural sector, characterised by tedious manual labour. But in Cameroon, which is endowed with abundant natural resources, minimum wage has been appalling for years.

It was first 28,000 FCFA and in 2014 it was raised to 36,270 FCFA. This year, it went up to 41.875 FCFA. It, however, remains well below the 150,000 FCFA proposed by a coalition of 12 central labour unions, or the 62,000 FCFA recommended by the workers' representatives following negotiations with the government.

The skyrocketing cost of living and soaring inflation make the minimum wage in the country merely peanut. When Cameroon increased prices like it did in mobile money transactions charges, it explained that rates in countries like Gabon and Ivory Coast were higher.

They are right. But the CPDM government should also compare minimum wages in the countries like Senegal and Ivory Coast which have identical population and economic specificities like Cameroon. The minimum wage in Ivory Coast is 75,000 FCFA, in Senegal it is 86,900 FCFA and 150,000 FCFA in neighbouring Gabon.

So how does the government expect workers in Cameroon to live on a paltry minimum wage and perform decent work? The Guardian Post supports Cameroon Agricultural and Allied Workers Trade Union in their demand for a national debate on minimum wage so as to pre-empt strikes that could cripple the economy.