Teachers’ Union Holds Firm on Strike Action After Government Talks

Cameroonian teachers' unions remain skeptical following government talks, casting doubt on official promises and threatening a week-long strike next month.

Despite government hopes of averting industrial action, union leaders did not withdraw their strike notice, citing a lack of concrete action.

The Collective of Education Organizations in Cameroon (COREC) and the Cameroon Teachers' Union for Africa (SECA) both criticized the government's approach.

"The government merely made promises. There's nothing concrete," said Samory Touré Tenkeng, SECA's communications secretary.

Unions are demanding a firm date for the long-delayed National Education Forum (NEF), first proposed in 2016 and repeatedly postponed. Tenkeng said a confirmed date for the NEF would prompt an immediate cancellation of the planned strike.

The government has pledged to hold the forum in 2025, but has not specified a date. Unions proposed April or May, ahead of the October presidential election's electoral roll call, a suggestion that has not gained traction with authorities in Yaounde. The government's delay has fueled union suspicions of stalling tactics.

In addition to the NEF, unions are pushing for the adoption of a special status for teachers, which they view as equally crucial. During the recent talks, the government agreed to use the term "particular status" instead.

"It's just semantics," Tenkeng said. He argued that the government could build trust by establishing a commission to finalize the draft of the particular status before presidential review. However, no such commission has been formed.

Unions are required to submit an initial draft of the text by March 31. "We're working on it now, and the document will be ready on Monday," Tenkeng said.

With no confirmed date for the NEF and no commission to finalize the particular status, which is expected to include financial benefits for teachers, dialogue between the government and unions is set to continue

BY A CORRESPONDENT

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