Cameroon: University lecturers to go on strike?

University lecturers in Cameroon will begin a one week strike from next Monday 10 November, the syndicate of teachers of higher education in Cameroon (SYNES), announced at a press briefing on Monday in Yaounde
The secretary general of SYNES, Innocent Futcha, told reporters that they decided on this course of action to press government to consider their demands for higher pay and an improvement in their working conditions in general.
Futcha Innocent said they resolved to engage in industrial action during an ordinary general assembly of SYNES that held on 9 October.
Copies of the resolutions of the general assembly had already been sent to the minister of Higher Education, Futcha said, adding that the press briefing was intended to reaffirm their stance and to inform the public of the strike.
The SYNES secretary general said that in the letter to the minister they also informed him of other actions they would take but which authorities would not be given prior notification of.
The university teachers are thus calling on government to honour its pledge contained in phase II and III of the triennial programme of 2001-2004, for the amelioration of salaries in the higher education sector.

SYNES says that in spite of an instruction of the president of the republic in 2007 calling on the minister of Higher Education and other stakeholder ministries to propose measures for the amelioration of the conditions of higher education teachers, no concrete measures have since been taken. And even the proposals of a committee set up to study the matter have not yet been sent to the appropriate quarters for action to be taken.
The teachers are thus protesting against what they describe as ridiculous working conditions:- very low salaries, heavy workload, no sabbatical leave abroad, no research grants, uncomfortable offices lacking toilets, telephones and computers etc.
The teachers say such poor working conditions make it difficult for them to do their work well and upgrade their status.
They say their conditions of work are by far inferior to those of their colleagues in other countries like Senegal, with similar economic standards.
A representative of the MINESUP at the press briefing Rodolphine Wamba, who tried to say that the file on the salaries of teachers had been exhumed by the minister, was simply hushed down by the bitter SYNES members.
The higher education teacher’s syndicate has a total 1000 registered members of the 2500 higher education teachers in the country.

It is however said the Higher Education minister would likely meet with officials of SYNES in a bid to pre-empt the strike