Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) - Cameroon (Ratification: 1962)

The Committee notes the Government’s reply to the comments received in 2007 from the General Union of Workers of Cameroon (UGTC) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). It also notes the comments of the UGTC and the ITUC dated 16 October 2008 and 26 August 2009, respectively. The Committee requests the Government to provide its observations in this respect in its next report.

Article 1 of the Convention. The Committee recalls that, since the adoption of the Labour Code in 1992, it has been asking the Government to amend or delete sections 6(2) and 166 of the Labour Code, which allow the imposition of fines ranging between 50,000 and 500,000 francs on members responsible for the administration or management of a non-registered trade union, who act as if the union had been registered, which is in breach of Article 1 of the Convention. In this respect, the Committee notes that a Bill to amend and supplement certain provisions of the Labour Code has been submitted to the competent authorities and that it would result in the abolition of the penalties and/or fines referred to above. The Committee expects that the Government will be in a position to indicate in its next report the progress achieved in bringing the national legislation into full conformity with Article 1 of the Convention.

Article 4 of the Convention. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to reply to the comments made by trade union organizations concerning the lack of true collective bargaining in the country since 1996. The Committee notes that, according to the Government, several collective agreements and enterprise agreements have been concluded in various sectors and branches of activity, such as: security enterprises, journalism, agriculture, polygraphic industries, banking, commerce, pharmaceuticals, dockers and stevedores, processing industries, insurance, construction and public works. It notes that certain commissions for the negotiation and revision of collective agreements are continuing their work (telecommunications, merchant shipping, water, first level hospitals, postal services and petroleum producing and storage enterprises). The Committee requests the Government to provide statistical data on the number of collective agreement concluded in both the public and the private sectors and the number of workers covered by these agreements.