Various speakers, banners and placards in Yaounde spoke of the need to ensure greater workers’ welfare.

The 2016 Labour Day in Cameroon was celebrated in Yaounde in pomp and pageantry on May 1. Though the theme was; “The Social Responsibility Of Employers And Trade Unions In Ensuring Decent Work Conditions,” various workers’ unions also marched past with different messages, aimed at restating their objective, watchword and ensuring enhanced welfare for employees.

Addressing workers at the May 20 Avenue, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Gregoire Owona, spoke of governments’ resolve to promote decent work conditions. These include recent increases in National Social Insurance Fund, CNPS retirement contributions and family allowance, and the introduction of voluntary social insurance cover for workers in the informal sector. He said government intends to ensure that workers enjoy decent work conditions at all times. Decent work, he recalled, is work that carried out in liberty and dignity, enabling workers to treat and cater for themselves.

While promising government’s efforts to ensure more work-related reforms in collaboration with the CNPS, Minister Gregoire Owona said much was also expected of trade unions. He insisted on safety at work, adding that decent work was all about a change of perspective. Trade unionists who spoke at the event insisted on proper treatment and pay for workers. Issac Bisalla of the General Union of Cameroon Workers, GUCW, decried the recent harassment and firing of workers’ representatives by some foreign construction companies for daring to stand in recent elections.

Meanwhile, some of the most outstanding messages on placards and banners read; “Together, let us be socially responsible,” “Taking our future into our hands,” “No to slavery!”, “Mr Prime Minister, where is the committee for the fight against illegal transport?”, “Transport workers, AIDS and illegal transport are our enemies,” and “Long live collaboration, long live peace.” Others were, “No planning is possible if we do not master our database,” “Decent work leads to productive work,” “Work harder because much remains to be done,” “Let us build a green world,” and “Yes, we feed the nation,” etc.

Apart from written messages, various groups of employees also marched past, clad in specially-designed company fabrics, carrying samples of their products. This was the case with newspaper publishers, bakers, agricultural workers, dairy and telephony companies.