Joseph Le Fires 1,172 Absentee Civil Servants

By Njong Shey  

The government has dismissed 1,172 civil servants from the Cameroon public civil service, citing chronic absenteeism for the measure.

The Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reforms, Joseph Le, announced the dismissal through a release on Monday, November 18,

The action is part of a governmental operation called Physical Counting of State Personnel (COPPE) aimed to ensure discipline and effectiveness in the civil service.

The essence is to fish out those who are unduly earning from the government coffers without rendering any services.

The 1,172 dismissed state employees were noticed for absenteeism but kept receiving money from the state coffers.

As such, the Minister of Finance complained to the Ministry of Public Service about administrative reforms that were conducted and operated.

“These sanctions are taken in accordance with the provisions of Decree No. 94/199 of October 7, 1994, relating to the General Status of the State Public Service, amended and supplemented by Decree No. 2000/287 of October 12, 2000, and Decree No. 78/484 of November 9, 1978, establishing the common provisions applicable to state agents covered by the Labour Code,” wrote Minister Joseph Le.

Joseph Le said his Ministry received a complaint from the Ministry of Finance against 8,766 public servants.

So, the Ministry summoned these officials, and of that number, only 601 responded to the request for written explanations.

“At the end of the disciplinary procedures, rehabilitations were pronounced in favour of some and dismissals or revocations against others who, although having responded to the summons, pleaded false documents in order to mislead the administration,” he stated.

In recent years, the government has raised concerns about the number of ghost workers in the Cameroonian public service.

In a country where unemployment remains very high, people who already have jobs abandon them but keep receiving salaries paid by taxpayers.

Owing to those complaints, President Paul Biya mandated the Prime Minister to look into the issue of chronic absenteeism in the public service. 

During a cabinet meeting on July 25, PM Joseph Dion Ngute, issued a stern warning against those who have abandoned their civil service jobs but still collect salaries. He warned they were going to be dismissed, a measure that has now come true.

However, those dismissed among the 1,172 civil servants who think that they have been unfairly sanctioned may submit a petition to the Higher Council of the Civil Service.