Labour Minister Whips up Machinery in South West

The South West Region, home of the largest employing State enterprise, the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, with over 20.000 workers, received Mr. Gregoire Owona, Minister of Labour and Social Security last February 21, 2013 on his first ever official working visit to the area. He held a closed-door meeting with representatives of sacked workers of the privatised Tole Tea Estate who, for years, have been yearning for the State to pay them certain dues.

Accompanied by Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai and his top brass including Buea Mayor, Mbella Moki Charles, the Minister inspected the Services of the Regional Delegation of Labour and Social Security as well as those of the National Social Insurance Fund respectively in Buea and at Mile 17 Buea. The Minister held two working sessions first with his local staff in the hall of the Regional Delegation and second with the social partners made of employers' representatives and syndicates' leaders.

The Minister unleashed a stern warning to both his staff of the Central Administration and those of the Region to sit up to the new dispensation of duty consciousness. A pathetic situation of non-availability of labour texts at Regional Services was raised with the Minister instructing that all new texts must be ventilated to various Services dully and thoroughly.

The Boss of Labour and Social Security reminded his staff of President Paul Biya's policy of moving the proportion of social security coverage in Cameroon from 10 to 20 per cent by 2015. He called for a conducive climate in all work places engendered by dialogue, discipline, assiduity, safety and hygiene. The Minister urged for upcoming personnel delegates' elections to be done in peace according to regulations in force.