Negotiations have reached a deadlock in the union strike as some prepare to declare an instant action while others recommend to their peers a milder but more detrimental form of strike.
"It was a strike notice to open the door to negotiations, thus the need to understand,” according to Antoinette Tangono ékoan, President of the Cameroon Confederation of Labour (CCT), the first declaration of some 12 labour confederations in Cameroon following the rise in oil prices.
The latter, in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, dated July 2, 2014, called a general strike from July 10, 2014 if their requirements were not taken into account by the government.
In that notice, the union confederations heavily criticised the rise in fuel prices as another act of impoverishment of the people and workers of Cameroon, causing the government to promptly establish a framework for negotiations with the trade union confederations of workers.
Since negotiations are in deadlock the logical action for many should be to strike. But Antoinette Tangono ékoan noted workers appeared to be going normally about their business even though rush hour traffic seemed to have dropped a notch.
“It is true the President admits the government stalled negotiations around certain issues, such as the minimum wage (SMIG) that the government intends to raise to 35,000 FCFA while unionists want 62, 000Fcfa due to expenses and taking into account the current cost of living," she says.
For her, the ideal would be 150,000 CFA francs. An opinion shared among all signatories of the notice. The negotiations also cover the uncapping of the retirement pension and the cancellation of the tax on the income(IRRP) and finally the establishment of a real body whose decisions would be binding in lieu of the National Advisory Commission.
“Now that negotiations are at an impasse, today we will file a registration statement to strike to the prime minister,” they announced.
Regarding the probable date of commencement of the said strike, unions remain silent, reserving the premiere recipient of their future correspondence. Meanwhile, some trade union confederations, like the CPS (Central Public Sector Association) recommend a "go slow".
Its variations, Bikoko Jean Marc says: "We ask comrades to readjust. That is to say out of 25 working days, you can choose to only work ten days and the other days you stay at home because the salary does not allow you to go work." A form of strike that is more costly and more pernicious.
