Six hundred and seventy-five workers of the Société Sucrière du Cameroun, known by French acronym as SOSUCAM, have been rewarded with labour medals for long meritorious services rendered to the agro-food industry.

A total of 989 medals notably; 391 in bronze, 369 in silver gild and 229 in gold were hung on the chests of the 675 workers in Mbandjock, Upper-Sanaga Division, Centre Region on January 27, 2016.

The colourful ceremony was presided at by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Grégoire Owona, in the presence of the President Director General of SOSUCAM, Louis Yinda.

On behalf of the SOSUCAM workers, Personnel Delegate, Alouna Mvehé, hailed the President Director General, noting that they (workers) feel honoured. He called for a minute of silence for departed fellow workers, stating that the medal award ceremony at SOSUCAM is proof of constructive management instituted in the company.

According to Alouna, the workers are committed to doing their work more than ever before as they are aware of Government’s engagement as well as that of the President Director General in promoting decent work for all.

“We want to continue to benefit from the fruits of this work in peace and liberty. That is why in the presence of our social partners, we are reiterating the need for a response to pressing and recurrent requests of the labour force,” Alouna said.

The Personnel Delegate outlined such requests to include: the need for the interest of the workers to prevail, exoneration of tax on income; attribution of leave allowance; good separation bonuses; increase in performance bonuses; harmonisation of retirement age in the public service at 60 and five additional years for those working in the private sector; and improvement in the minimum wage from the current FCFA 36,260 to FCFA 62,500, amongst other issues.

Maintaining that at the level of SOSUCAM, the revision of the internal rules is necessary, the Personnel Delegate said disciplinary procedures in the company remain the best as it is supposed to be completed only by giving workers the opportunity to appeal at the level of the President Director General, in case of a challenge of sanctions meted.

Alouna made reference to Cameroon’s recent ratification of Conventions 144 on tripartite consultations and 155 on health and security at work and hoped that the workers are going to enormously benefit from it.

According to him, security and health at work remain a major pre-occupation of all the socio-economic corps, for it protects the workers from losing their production capacity and buying power due to professional risks such as accidents at work and illnesses.

He thanked President Paul Biya for listening to the trade unions and raising the family allowance as well as reducing the price of fuel.

Alouna condemned colleagues who steal the company’s property, stating that such acts expose them to disciplinary sanctions and eventual dismissal from work. He called on the meritorious workers of SOSUCAM to continue to progress through their good results and performances, a hallmark of good leadership being promoted by the President Director General and his collaborators.

He added that, because of social dialogue instituted by the President Director General, SOSUCAM is today a reference.

“At SOSUCAM, we are within a good environment, management exchanges quarterly with traditional representatives of local communities. The personnel statute, social contract and the collective convention are being applied…” Alouna disclosed amidst thunderous applause from the crowd.

Meanwhile, addressing the workers and invited guests, SOSUCAM President Director General, Yinda, particularly told the Minister of Labour and Social Security that his presence was a demonstration of the importance Government places in the agro-food sector, a real source of the country’s wealth.

He said the award of labour medals to workers of SOSUCAM has become a ritual and that it was their wish to get the meritorious workers decorated before the end of last year in order to stay within their set norms, but for reasons of different time schedules, the programme could not be respected.

The SOSUCAM boss reiterated that the 391 bronze, 369 silver gild and 229 gold medals awarded the 675 workers have strong symbolic significance.
Said Yinda: “It represents long years of work for all, with the most senior amongst you having clocked 25 years of service. Years of professional life sometimes punctuated by difficult moments, but also meetings as well as individual and collective satisfaction, irrespective of the functions that you occupy.”

He said the medal award ceremony took place within the global context of celebration marking 50 years of the company.

“We are going to celebrate this event marking the life of our company within this sugar season and I want to thank you for the mobilisation that you will undertake for the total success of this celebration,” the SOSUCAM President Director General noted.

“SOSUCAM is a company of reference, which, despite the fraud, contraband and illegal importation at the Douala Port, it still portrays satisfactory results up-to-date. I am, therefore, calling on all our personnel to be vigilant and defend the company in the face of all acts that threaten the sustainability of its activities and even its existence.

“The State is helping us in combating these ills and this is an opportunity to appeal to the Minister of Labour and Social Security, to transmit our thanks to the President of the Republic for banning the importation of sugar into Cameroon until further notice,” Yinda stated.

He said, despite the obstacles, the company is moving ahead with the determination of attaining its objectives. He noted that he listened attentively to the requests of the workers on seeing improvement in the basic wage, old age pension and the revision of the internal rules of SOSUCAM. He talked of the unwavering efforts that have been put in place to improve working and living conditions so far in the company.

“In Cameroon today, our company stands out as a model in the agro-food sector in terms of social dialogue and the advantages we give to our employees,” Yinda said, promising that the situation will continue to improve depending on the means available.

He, however, reminded the workers that a company is created to make profits and it is on such basis that they can see their lots improved.

According to the President Director General of SOSUCAM, the labour medals to the workers is not only a compensation of the collaborators who they, but also an indication of their collective support to the proper functioning of the company and, by extension, the development of Cameroon as a nation.
He used the occasion to express the gratitude of the Board members to all the workers on whom the company depends on to attain its mission of producing quality sugar for Cameroonians at affordable prices.

According to Grégoire Owona, social dialogue in SOSUCAM is not a slogan but a way of management today. He hailed the President Director General for the prevailing social climate in the company, especially within the past three years. Presenting Government’s congratulations, he said SOSUCAM is today a good example of privatisation.

He told the workers that the first objective of any investor is to make profit and admitted, however, that a company is nothing without workers. He also asked what will become of the workers if the company is not there, reason why they must work hard to ensure that the company is making profits to enable them continue to stay on the job.

He hailed the workers for recognising what Government is doing to enhance social dialogue and promote decent work.

“I have taken note of your requests and for your information, some of the demands are already under study,” Owona disclosed. He added that work on the revision of the Labour Code is ongoing and the administration is open to all proposals.

He stated that medals are given to meritorious workers in the name of the President and that it is recognition of the entire nation. Owona called on the workers to elect their Personnel Delegate in peace and serenity come March 1, 2016.

The event was also an occasion for the media to visit and be acquainted with the production chains of the lone sugar producing company in Cameroon.

SOSUCAM, a company with a capital of FCFA 13.925 billion, has 72.72 percent of its shares owned by the French Group, SOMDIAA, while the rest are owned by the State of Cameroon and private shareholders. Created in 1964, the company cultivates 18,700 hectares of sugar cane plantation on its two sites of Mbandjock and Nkoteng.