Over 100 workers of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) took to the streets of Tiko on the morning of Tuesday, October 8, 2024, protesting against months of unpaid salaries.
The workers, who gathered around 8 am, marched through major parts of the Tiko municipality, carrying placards that expressed their frustration.
Despite facing numerous security challenges, the workers claimed they have continued to report for duty, but their efforts have gone unrewarded for several months.
One protester expressed the collective frustration, saying, “We go to work every day even with the security challenges, but when the month ends, the management tells us there is no money and that we should just continue to work.”
The protesters have vowed to maintain their demonstrations until their demands are addressed.
At press time, the irate workers were heading to the office of the Divisional Officer (DO) of Tiko, where they planned to formally present their grievances.
The CDC used to be Camerroon’s largest employer, after the State, boasting 22,000 employees working in three agricultural sectors: oil palm, rubber and banana.
But when the ongoing Anglophone Crisis started in 2016, armed separatists began attacking workers of the parastatal, severely disrupting work and displacing thousands from their jobs.
The corporation eventually suffered huge losses, especially in the banana and rubber sectors, nearly causing its bankruptcy.
The CDC has been unable to regularly pay its workers since then, leading to regular protests among disgruntled laborers.
The government has pomped in billions of francs CFA to support the company to regain vibrance, but it is yet to reach its pre-crisis level of productivity.
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