CAMEROON HIT BY A SERIES OF STRIKES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 000928 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/C LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA ACTION OFFICERS EUCOM FOR J5-A AFRICA DIVISION AND POLAD YATES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ELAB CM EAIR ASEC EFIN SUBJECT: CAMEROON HIT BY A SERIES OF STRIKES REF: BRUCKER JUNE 12 WEEKLY UPDATE EMAIL -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) Cameroon has been hit by four strikes in the first two weeks of June, some of which are related. Employees of the national airline (CAMAIR),taxi drivers, Wackenhut security guards and university students have all walked out. While it is too soon to characterize this as a "wave," four in two weeks is a lot and the fact that the taxi drivers and (likely) the Wackenhut guards secured concessions by striking could embolden others to strike to improve pay and/or working conditions. End Summary. -------------- Four Strikes in Two Weeks -------------- ¶2. (U) As reported in ref email, CAMAIR employees went on strike in early June to protest the company's eventual privatization and partial liquidation. The strike grounded CAMAIR's two planes for several days but they were flying again by June 10. A decision on the company's privatization is expected by the end of June. ¶3. (U) To protest rising fuel prices, Cameroon's taxi drivers orchestrated a one-day strike June 12 in an effort to secure higher fare rates. The strike left many commuters stranded as taxis are Cameroon's only real form of urban public transportation. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security agreed to a base rate hike (from FCFA 175-200 (about 40 cents)) during the day and to FCFA 250 (50 cents) at night. Taxis were back on the street by June 13. ¶4. (U) The taxi rate hike prompted students at the University of Yaounde II to strike June 13; the students complain that the higher rates make taxis prohibitively expensive. (Comment: Students are not alone in this feeling.) For students at this branch of the university, quite distant from town, the increase raises the one way fare from FCFA 1000 to FCFA 1140 (about USD 2.25). ¶5. (U) Separately, Wackenhut guards went on strike the morning of June 14 in an effort to secure contractually owed severance pay due as a result of the company's recent acquisition by the German firm Group Four. Day guards did not show up for work at the Embassy and many diplomatic residences, forcing dedicated night shift guards to work as long as 36 hours without relief. ¶6. (U) The Wackenhut strike was not without violence. Guards at the Peace Corps headquarters were attacked by colleagues for staying on the job, though gendarmes at the site quickly broke this up. There were other reports of harassment and gendarmes forcibly removed and arrested nearly 100 Wackenhut guards who were protesting in front of Wackenhut headquarters on June 14. The company reportedly signed on replacement guards at Wackenhut headquarters even as negotiations were going on. ¶7. (U) Wackenhut did not reach an agreement with the guards on June 14, but representatives from the Ministry of Labor plan to address senior guard delegates on June 16 to resolve the severance pay issue. Day guards resumed their normal duties June 15, but violence continued with angry guards destroying a parked automobile. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (SBU) While it is too soon to characterize these strikes as a "wave," their high concentration -- and results -- have caught attention. The taxi and student strikes underscore the keen price sensitivity to rate hikes for everyday goods and services. The Wackenhut walkout highlights the frustration with heavy-handed labor practices and underscores YAOUNDE 00000928 002 OF 002 the near desperation of the guards who were willing to risk their (at most) USD 100 per month jobs in a high un- and under-employment environment to make the point that they expect to be treated fairly. Gendarmerie Minister Aleokol told the Ambassador June 15 that he sees a direct connection between recent achievement of the HIPC Completion Point and the recent spike in social unrest: popular expectations are too high, and more disappointments will follow. End Comment. MARQUARDT