Since September 12, 2011, some 700 mostly elderly disgruntled former workers of Cameroon Tea Estates, CTE, Tole Tea Plantation, Buea, have been engaged in a non-violent sit in the premises of the South West Regional Delegation of Labour and Social Security. They are claiming FCFA 2.2 billion as severance pay after the October 2002 hand over of the plantation from the state-owned Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) to the privately-owned Cameroon Tea Estates.
At first, the Regional Delegate and her staff members carried out their daily activities undisturbed, not until recently when the demonstrators, seemingly fed up, completely barred the entrance into the building after chasing the officials away. They have pasted placards in the compound with messages denouncing their situation. They have equally filled the premises with their belongings, transforming it into their new home.
“When we left CDC, they said we were being transferred to another company and that all the other conditions of service would remain the same. But between 2002 and 2006, almost everybody had been dismissed. The CTE management claimed that the labour force was higher than required; workers aged above 50 should go on voluntary retirement. They did. Then there was a salary cut in 2004 which angered the workers. So they went on a strike. Without negotiating, CTE management ordered that those who did not return to work by a particular date should consider themselves to have absconded. With these grudges, the workers did not show up. Management ended up laying off 331 workers on that day. In 2004, management took back 704 workers from the main labour force made up of tea pluckers, leaving only 90 permanent workers. These workers were then used as day contract workers for plucking, without having been paid their separation dues. We are claiming FCFA 2.2 billion,” explained the strikers’ spokesperson, Bate Atem..
At press time on Tuesday October 25, 2011, it was reported that the Divisional Officer of Buea, Abraham Chekem visited the site. So did the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, Bona Ebengue François. Visibly, no consensus has been reached yet. Meanwhile, the South West Regional Delegate for Labour and Social Security, Kalati Lobe Marie Catherine holds that she met the file and that it is beyond her level. She added that after the Buea High Court, the matter is now in the Yaounde Supreme Court. She and her staff are now working from the Fako Divisional Delegation in Limbe. For the time being, the demonstrators are fed by their families, benevolent individuals and groups.
A similar incident occurred in 2006 when the same workers stormed the CDC Head Office in Bota, Limbe. The then Prime Minister and Head of Government, Ephraim Inoni summoned a tripartite meeting after which some money was paid to the demonstrators, pending further negotiations.
