CAMORIF Releases Action Plan For 2012

Bamenda (Jan. 27) The Cameroon Movement for the Right to Food (CAMORIF), has released its 2012 ambitious action plan. The plan was conceived and validated by its executive members during a one day concentrated meeting in yaounde.

According to the action plan, CEPCA is in charge with the preparation of the visit to Cameroon sometime in June of the visit of the Special Reporter of the Right to Food Movement. COMINSUD on its part will be busy with the distribution and the follow up of the parallel report that was represented to the CESCR recently in Geneva  while information sharing initiatives and activities concerning the organization of the 2012 World Food Day in October will be managed by CHAMECC. The IAWRC was charged with making a trip to Buea and doing a special write-up on the plight of the striking workers of the Tole Tea Estate.

During the meeting, the executive members also reviewed the legalization documents of CAMORIF, its constitution and by-laws, the activities of the African Network to the Right to Food (RAPDA) and the visit of Mr. Fon Nsoh and Mrs Catherine Chofor to Geneva during the 47th CESRC session.

"We are making some good progress and we are respected because we are the first of the few African countries to have legalized our movement with an active executive and plan of action", Mr. FON NSOH, the president of CAMIROF-Cameroon, told the executive meeting. "This shows the seriousness of these in the executive bureau" the CAMORIF focal point for the South Region, Mr. Claire Ateba, added.

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                                                                                                                                                                                REPORT ON FIELD SURVEY OF THE EFFECTS OF PRIVATIZATION OF CDC TO CTE ON WOMEN AND YOUTHS IN THE TOLE CAMP AND BWIYUKU COMMUNITIES.

The study was carried out from the 24th to 25th of July 2006 led by Ainta Ngayap and Ndemafia Francis; volunteers of NCIG and Achingale Pamela, Tanyi Eunice and Eni Josephine ; interns from the University of Buea.

Since the privatization of the tea sector of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) in October 2002, the Tole Tea Estate has been rocked by crisis, culminating in the suspension of work on the plantation in April 2006.

Tole - Bwiyuku is situated at the outskirts of Buea along the road leading to Limbe through Small Soppo from Buea. The area has been reputed for the production of tea ever since the 40s.

Objectives of the Survey 

Nkong Hill Top (NCIG) decided to carry out this survey in order:

• to identify women groups in the area, their activities, and group history;
• to determine the present situation of former CTE workers and labourers;
• to determine the effects of the crises on the women and youths especially;
• to identify projects that can alleviate the poverty of the population.

The survey team was divided into two. One team comprising Anita Ngayap, Achingale Pamela and Eni Josephine who worked at the Tole camp and the other team made up of Ndemafia Francis and Tanyi Eunice who worked in the Bwiyuku community, a neighboring village to the Tole camp. A question guide and group discussion were the tools used to collect information for the survey. A total number of 64 persons were interviewed: 35 and 29 for Tole amp and Bwiyuku respectively.

Tole Camp 

Apart from the former labourers of the CTE, the sample included 01 field assistant, 01 head nurse, 01 technical engineer, and 01 overseer.

Income 

Amoungst the 35 persons interviewed in the Tole camp,32 of them get their income from farming. Of this number, 30 of them spend approximately 700-1000 FRS a day for feeding  a household of about 06 to 10 persons. Following international norms; inhabitants in this camp are bellow the poverty level as individuals do not afford at least 650 Frs. per day for feeding.18 women out of 35 persons were sole providers of income in their families.

Health 

The health situation in the camp is deplorable. Since privatization, the health centre which usually receives 70 patients daily experienced a drastic reduction in the number of patients to 35.This was as a result of the introduction of consultation fees and payment for drugs.These were free when the health centre was being run by the CDC. Eventually the Health centre and maternity were closed. Consequently, pre and self medication is now widely practiced. Youths indulge in risky sexual behavior and most young girls, because of the hardship, have moved to neighbouring fishing towns like Limbe and Idenau to seek greener pasture. 30 of the persons reached were aware of the HIV/AIDS pandamic and 20 women agreed that their children were vaccinated.

Housing

All the workers in the camp do not pay rents, but the general housing situation is inadequate. There are about 6 to 10 persons in one or two rooms with about 300 persons assigned to one toilet, yet the toilets have been left without maintenance and as a result, they use the Ndongo stream to pass out waste. There is free pipe borne water from Small Soppo, but workers have been cut off from electricity supply.

Education 

Although there are government primary and secondary schools, including some private mission primary schools in this area, the education standard remain low with pupils dropping out of school regularly. About 20 women were not able to complete fees and buy some needs for their children as a result of reduction in salary and subsequently no payment.

Effects of Privatization

Before privatization, there were about 658 workers, 490 of them were women. The Estate's population was estimated to be about 5264 with an average of 8 persons per household. With the change from CDC to CTE, the following effects were witnessed; 

• 332 workers were retrenched without any pay. The majority of them were women and youths in Saxenhof;
• 232 workers were handed cheques of their dues which CTE owed them. The cheque was only a fraction of the total amount which was supposed to be paid to these workers;
• CTE retained 94 workers as her permanent workers, out of which only 12 were women and 82 men;
• the new regime stopped the buying of wood for the factory from the inhabitants;
• juvenile delinquency, child prostitution, rural exodus and an increase in crimes like theft have been on the increase;
• drastic decrease in living standards;
• incentive and production bonuses were stopped;
• a drop in earnings especially for petty traders;
• retrenchment of workers without retirement benefits.

Wage rate under CDC regime was good, workers were paid monthly wage according to their category. Category C1 received 30,000 to 32 000 FRS; C2 received 37,000 to 40,000 FRS; and C3 received 50,000 to 60,000 FRS. Besides these fixed wage rates, they had over time payment and bonuses. After privatization, all the workers were paid with respect to their inputs. As a result, only those who can put in much time at work per day earned high at the end of the month.

After privatization, priority was given only to those close to the management team such as the top health officials and field assistants, assistant managers were not cut off from electricity, and their salaries were only reduced to half. This group of people has slightly better sanitary and housing conditions, as they have individual toilets and larger houses of about four bedrooms.

Since the Estate was shut down, a total of 1155 tons of tea had not been produced. The price for a ton of tea on export is 21 million Frs. Consequently an estimated amount of 24 to 25 billion Frs has been lost by the economy from the non exporting of this product.

Bwiyuku Community

A total of 29 persons were interviewed in this area. Amongst them was a field assistant, inhabitants of the community and some CTE workers who lived here.

For income generating purposes, it is known that out of the 29 persons interviewed, 20 have engaged in farming from which they generate their income. 5 youths were talked to in the group discussion. They said there were no ready jobs for the youths. They have an association and carry out activities like farming, cutting and transportation of wood for sale from which they generate their income. 8 of the women interviewed were the sole provider of income in their families.

Health wise it is also known that due to total hardship in the community, 20 persons practice self medication. Those who even go to the hospital have very little means to afford for their drugs. This has led to the closure of some medicine stores in this area as patients come with only 100 frs or 200 frs to buy medicine under serious illness. Concerning HIV/AIDS the entire community is aware of it but out of 25 persons interviewed, only 8 persons knew their HIV/AIDS status. Meanwhile with other related diseases, 10 out of 12 women talked to in this area had their children vaccinated. 

                       SOME INSIGHTS OF THE FORMER TOLE TEA WORKERS' SIT-IN 

Recently a group of Peace Corps Volunteers here in Buea became curious about the people milling around the labour office. Upon close investigation and spending some time with the people, this is the story discovered.

Anyone who has driven or walked past the Buea Labour office can see the effects of a poor transition from government to private ownership. Approximately 500 former Tole Tea workers have taken up residence on the steps of the building, in front of the gates. Bed rolls are set up in the halls of the office; foodstuffs and soap are stacked up outside the front door. Four huge cauldrons take turns over a makeshift fire pit, heating water for the morning tea and cooking beans and rice for the evening meal. There is a compound close to the office were protesters take turns bathing. And although there is only one toilet on the ground for the 500 people to share, the property is tidy and cleaner than before the occupation.

Being situated on the foot of Mt. Cameroon, the Labour Office get cold at night. Since the office can only house so many, most people are sleeping outside the dirt and concrete. People are developing colds and pains, but they said their cause is worth it. These people are not here because they do not have other things to do. They have families, spouses and some have jobs. But these people have been camping out at the Labour Office for close to two months now, in hope of drawing attention to their problems- that of government neglect.

Their plight began in 2002, when the government owned tea plantations were privatized. Before then, the plantations, comprised of Tole in the South West, Ndu in the North West, and Djuttisa in the West, were government owned and operated. Tole Tea workers were employed and housed on plantation grounds. Schools were built for the children and health clinics were available on site for care of the workers and their families. Workers were paid a fare wage and worked hard for their money.Some people worked their whole lives on the plantation and children who were born there know no other way of life. The Tole workers lived and worked together and formed a close family bond. It is important to note that at that time, the Labour code provided that workers be consulted before the private sale of a government owned enterprise.

In October 2002, when the Government sold Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), including he Tole plantation, to a South African holding company known as Brobon Finex, without consulting the workers, there were several stipulations agreed on by both parties. One was that all conditions for employees would remain the same; should the workers agree to sign new contracts with the new company of Cameroon Tea Estate (CTE). Guaranteed by then chairman of Finix, Derrick Garvie, workers would be allowed to live in their homes on the plantation while the schools and health clinics will remain open. New workers were also suppose to be recruited to ensure growth of the business. And as stipulated by Cameroon legislation, the government as the former employer was to ensure that workers were to be paid all entitled benefits to employment. These benefits included separation bonuses to be paid on or before the date of the final sale on October 18, 2002.

Shortly after the sale of the Tole Estae, news surfaced that the actual owner was an extremely rich businessman from the NW, by the name Alhadji Bba Ahmadou Danpullo. The alleged Broban Finex turned out to be a ghost company and a front for Danpullo, who then in turn replaced high up managers at Tole, with loyal managers from his businesses in Douala. The general manager who was appointed was a clos friend to president Biya, he was also the former Minister of Agriculture and  the mastermind of the estate sale. Due to the language barrier caused by the new Francophone managers, and their complete lack of knowledge of tea production, the estate experienced internal strife, resulting to lower production and a decrease in revenue.

Over the next four years, as employee conditions deteriorated, workers went on strike several times. Machinery failed, health centers and schools closed,septic tanks went up-emptied, workers salaries and allowances decreased, and salaries ,benefits, and good separation bonuses which had been in arrears continued to go uncompensated. Intervention from the Minister of Agriculture was minimal and ineffective. Crisis meeting did little to bring about a compromise.

On August 4, 2006, then Prime Minister , Ephrame Inoni, called an ad hoc meeting in Yaounde, on the verification of the social rights of the Tole CTE workers. During that meeting, which was attended by seven ministers and six Tole staff representatives, nine articles were set down on paper and agreed upon. Seven of those articles have seen realization but two remain unfulfilled to this day; those two being article seven and nine; dealing in particular with 'good separation bonuses', also known as the "Golden Handshake." Good separation bonuses are common in all privatization processes and in simple terms, the old employer pays a worker a predetermined amount of money depending on criteria such as length of service and rate of salary. Good separation bonuses are provided for in Section 158 of the Cameroon Labour Code as well as Section 33 of the National Collective Agreement Governing Agriculture and Related Activities. During the ad- hoc meeting, the separation bonuses of the Tole workers were set at a rate of 3 months of salary to be multiplied by the number of years served. Article  7 dealt specifically with separation bonuses for 32 people formally employed at the CDC head office in Bota (as well as previous balances owed to these 32 people), for a total amount owed to 213,501,458 fcfa. Article 9 dealt specifically with separation bonuses only, for 704 workers from the Tole property, amounting to a sum of 2,257,717,963 fcfa. In all,  the government of Cameroon, as it appears in official documents from that meeting on August 4th, 2006, owes 736 former CDC workers of Tole and Bota, a total sum of 2,471,219,421 fcfa. That works out to an average of over three million fcfa per person.

Realizing that over 2 billion fcfa is not an amount to be laughed at, the cause of the former Tole workers at the Labour Office today, becomes clear and understandable. Some of these workers gave much of their lives in service to the local tea industry, have now waited patiently for over 5 years for what has not only been promised to them, but what is in fact, righted to them by their own government. One worker at the Labour Office commented that, "Yes, we have been patient for over 5 years, but that time is finished and we will be here(at the labour office) until we get our due compensation".

The spokes person of the group, Mr. Atem answered, "like less of a human being your kids may think daddy is running away from his responsibilities."

Mr. Atem says that there has so far been no sign of government cooperation, but never-the-less, spirit among the workers is still high and the group is unsatisfied.

The groups of workers holds a small church service each morning and evening and welcomes visitors to pray and sing with them.

When the Peace Corps Volunteers visited the Buea Labour Office, the workers did not ask them for anything. However, it is no doubt that the workers would appreciate any support from the community. If you are sympathetic with the Tole workers and would like to support them in their cause, any donation of bread, beans, tea, firewood, medicines, blankets, soap, tissue, and other items would surely do much to bolster their spirits.  

  By Heather Kathrens and Alisson Lacker,

U.S Peace Corps Volunteers,

Buea, SW, Cameroon. 

           After a careful study of the Cameroon family code draft document by the government, ten Civil Society Organizations (CSO) including NCIG represented by Mrs. Gospel Nti, decided to come together to put a base for lobby and advocacy for its adoption in the next parliamentary sitting. This led to the two day workshop organized on the 2nd and 3rd of November 2011, in Yaounde at Hotel "Le Tango". Participants involved where representatives from the ten CSO's from all the ten region of the country, a parliamentarian and the Resident Director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation who solely sponsored the event.

             The family code document reiterated on the fact that polygamy should not be encouraged within our society because it comes with a lot of disadvantages; the kids don't have as much one on one time with their dad, the wives may have to assume some of the financial supportive roles, and also there is a lot of social resentment from those who oppose it, this may leave the family in an unstable condition. The code also stressed that in case of polygamy the husband has to treat his wives with respect and provide them with accommodation within a distance, he has to concern to all his kids providing them with everything necessary for their upbringing.

              At the end of the workshop, CSO's were encouraged to sensitize their communities on the Cameroon Family Code and also to advocate for the adoption of the family code in the next presidential sitting.