Littoral workers hold workshop on health and work

The Littoral Regional Workers’ Week is seeking ways to improve working conditions. A session to discuss and share experience on this topic was organised for the Littoral Regional Workers by the Regional Delegation of Labour and Social Security in Douala. The session which started yesterday, April 20, 2015 is intended to run for one week in Bonanjo.

Among the issues discussed was health conditions resulting from unhealthy working trends. They mentioned screening for diabetes, hypertension and HIV/AIDS to improve the conditions of work in the public and private sectors.

In his PowerPoint presentation on the theme of the 2015 Labour Day to be celebrated on May 1: “Building a Cameroon of peace, solidarity and decent work in the future,” the Inspector No. 2 in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Abdoulkadri, who presided over the session, pointed out to the national and international instruments that guarantee the rights of workers to decent work.

“The word ‘decent’ as used together with ‘work’,” he pointed out, “also means decent salary, decent health, decent dressing, decent behaviour and all issues that concerns work.”

Participants, who were employees, general managers and trade union representatives, were advised to take violations of their rights to the relevant officials in the Ministry or Delegations of Labour and Social Security for redress.

Nkono Balbine Elisabeth, the Littoral Regional Delegate for Labour and Social Security, said the innovation for the 2015 Regional Workers’ Week is to draw the attention of workers to the essence of Labour Day.

It is also an avenue to reflect on how to improve working conditions, train workers as well as sensitise them to shun over feasting, which previously stole attention from the focus of Labour Day.

Dr Gilbert Nana, Medical Services Manager of Nestlé Cameroon, said health was a requisite for decent work. “Our 2009-2012 malaria eradication programme showed that Nestlé Cameroon lost more than 5,000 hours of work due to malaria, suffered an increased insurance budget to about 32 per cent for a staff strength of 2,000 and their family members, as well as increase in absenteeism. Sixty per cent of hospitalisation was due to malaria.”

As redress, every month for one year, 40 employees and 62 of their family members were each given treated bed nets, sprays, and repellent cream. The success rate in preventing malaria was 99 per cent; the other one per cent was due to the hospitalisation of two children who went on holidays in their villages and slept out of protection. “The key success factor is the application of buddy (peer) system,” the medic told Cameroon Tribune.