CTE Tole Workers Besiege CDC Head Office

By Francis Tim Mbom & Roland Mbonteh

Marooned workers of the Tole Tea Plantation near Buea in the early hours of Wednesday, July 26, besieged the head office of the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, in Bota Limbe.      

Desperate CTE workers spent entire wednesday at CDC Head Office

The workers, about 200 in number, said they had a memorandum addressed to General Manager, GM, Henry Njalla Quan, requesting for their terminal dues that were supposed to have been paid up before the August 18, 2002 privatization of the tea sector of the Corporation.      

"We have come here to ask CDC to pay us our money," Blasius Mosoke, leader of the Workers' representatives said he told the GM of CDC. "What we are demanding from them is about FCFA 2.3 billion," Mosoke added.    

The protesters were representing some 3500 workers who were formerly engaged by the tea sector of the CDC before privatization. A South African Consortium, Brobon Finex, bought it off and re-christened it Cameroon Tea Estates, CTE, Ltd.   

But after the privatization, the company was soon beset by a series of problems with the issue of the full payment of the workers terminal benefits being one of the most crucial.      

This problem has led to a number of strike actions by the workers in a bid to cause the CTE authorities and the government to redress the problem, but to no avail.Mosoke told pressmen that it was but normal for the government through the CDC, to have paid them off, before the tea sector went private.

As to what prompted them, after several meetings with the CTE authorities, Labour Minister and others, to resort to seeing the CDC GM, Mosoke said they had worked with the CDC and that before the privatization, they were never compensated like was the case with workers of other companies like AES-SONEL. He also argued that the CDC is presently paying off some workers that were proceeding on voluntary retirement, following an amicable agreement, reached of late, with no trouble.

"We too think our problem can be solved now," he said. He rebutted allegations that their approaching CDC was pegged on allegations that the CTE proprietor, Baba Danpullo claims the money for their terminal benefits was never paid to him when he was buying over the tea sector.         

GM Seeking Lasting Solutions

In a press briefing after meeting the workers' representatives in camera, Njalla Quan said they have received and listened to them and   were trying to see how "satisfactory and lasting solutions to their problems" can be achieved.      He said he had already contacted the Prime Minister and other authorities in Yaounde and is expecting a feedback.   

"This is the first time this delegation is coming to CDC with this problem. We have listened to them and have talked lengthily with and advised that they should give us time to see into it.

The solution does not reside in the CDC. I have no authority at my level to take decisions with regards to their plight," the GM said.He, however, said that he had a very cordial discussion with his former workers.
 

Dissatisfaction Persists
   

Despite the cordial nature of the talks as the GM said, some of the workers, yet, expressed discontent with the outcome.One of them, Simon Bateh, said that he was not satisfied. "I am not satisfied. There are only two options: money or death," Bateh retorted.    

He said he had worked for the CDC and the CTE for 28 years and seven months as a tea plucker."But till date I have not received even a franc for all my labour," he added.  Bateh wondered how he was going to send his children to school without money."We are going to stay here until the money is paid," Mosoke told his protesting colleagues.   

The workers had spread out on the frontage of the head office.  Some laid on the lawns while others took up positions on the veranda of the Communications Manager's office. Over a dozen combat ready gendarmes had been mobilized, in case of any eventuality.
   

Governor's Meeting Rebuffed

A call by the Governor for a meeting with the workers in his Buea  office, on Thursday, July 27, was outrightly rebuffed. The Social and Cultural Adviser to the Governor, Rev Victor Ayuk Enow, had, in a letter dated July 26 and addressed to seven representatives of the workers, invited them for a meeting at noon on Thursday, July 27.    

Mosoke said they were no longer ready for any meetings but their money."The time for negotiations and meetings has passed," he said.He said they had earlier had a series of meetings with the Southwest Governor and the Labour Minister to no avail.

He recalled that on April 12, they had a meeting at the same Governor's office in Buea, during which they were asked to go and calculate their dues and submit for payment. But that to date, there has been no response.

Comments

[Akoson]

Oh these my poor mothers. I love you all! When shall our country see light? Ah!

[victor]

Thank you Dear Parents!!
'A story that is too long ends with lies'. You've cut things short and very short by asking just for your dues.
Hold it there.Your sweat is as painful as the bleading would with Blood.Let the CDC,and The Gov't use funds from the returns of the HIPC,to pay these workers.
The Authorities should stop being heartless and deaf to the plights of these people.Shame,and we say we have a Gov't?A Democratic one?
'The cry of the poor attracts the ears of the Lord' Mr.Adviser to Governor knows that better.

[Ndi O]

Both the photo and the story is a difficult one to swallow. If the Governor, his adviser,GM,and the immoral Government, have ever taken just a day to fast for the Lord, then they would have best understood the pains my dear parents above are enduring.
Dear parents,the taste is bitter. Hope u continue with ur decision taken and extend further so we can get the country out of the present hell. God bless u all.

[Truemassa]

These are the good things that are happening per Mbamba "UGLY Duckling" Njeuma. The last two PMs are sons of the soil so this is how people from the soil should be treated. Remember, last year, it was peasants in Kumba fighting to recoop their life-savings from the Post Office; last month it was scarcity of water in Buea; now it is peasants not getting paid after over 28 years working in tea plantations. You guys have not seen anything yet.

[dango tumma]

GOVERNOR, GOVERNOR
DO YOU REALLY HAVE A GOBERNOR?
OH YAA, THE, HIGH SCHOOL LEAVER,FRENCHMAN
WHO IS THE AGENT OF THE BLACK FRENCH
LEADER OF REPUBLIQUE FRANCAIS DU CAMEROUN?
THATS GOVERNOR TO THE BLIND AND ILLETRATE.

DEMOCRACY, MEANS , GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE AND BY THE PEOPLE.

( THE PEOPLE MEANS, THE NATIVES OF THE
LAND, THE LAND MEANS, SOUTHERN CAMEROONS.
SOUTHERN CAMEROONS MEANS BUEA, TIKO,VICTORIA,MAMFE ,BALI ,BAMENDA, SANTA
NDIAN, EXCLUSIVELLY, NOT FRENCH CAMEROUN.

[joshua]

Cameroon: CTE Restructuring Plans For Tole Tea

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Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)

July 28, 2006
Posted to the web July 28, 2006

Richard Kwang Kometa

The Chairman of Brobon Finex, the South African company that bought the major share of the tea component of the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, has declared the intentions of his company to restructure the Tole Tea estate saying the estate has neither been abandoned nor is for sale. A recent press statement signed by Derrick Garvie of Brobon Finex and Baba Danpullo, chairman of the Cameroon Tea Estate, CTE, said they had serious plans to reorganise the Tole Tea Estate and make it more productive. Although the statement did not state the exact date of the restructuring, it stated that the CTE has been achieving results in its plantations in the West and North West Provinces which made it possible for the Tole Tea Estate to be rehabilitated in order to get better output.

Reacting to complaints by former workers of the Tole Tea Estate which had been at the centre of much controversy at CTE, both chairmen argued that the problems originated from the period before the privatisation agreement signed with government in October 2002. It was for this reason that the CTE conceived plans to reorganise the Tole Tea by taking into consideration the demands of the workers in order to make their working conditions better. The CTE, they insisted had no managerial crises and the closing of the Tole Tea Estate was not as a result of bankruptcy. Derrick Garvie and Baba Danpullo noted in their statement that uprisings recorded within the CTE were as a results of manipulations from forces they claimed to know so well saying such moves only helped in frustrating the workers but could not destabilise the tea industry because they already had projects in the pipeline that would make the Tole Tea Estate productive. They wondered why people thought Tole Tea Estate c ould be for sale or abandoned adding that it was not possible that much money should be spent in purchasing a business structure to be allowed to go fallow. The Statement insisted that Tole Tea was not a political party over which people should launch campaign activities.

The Tole Tea Estate was closed recently following a decision by the Board of Administrators of the Cameroon Tea Estate that "the factory should be replace by a new one".

The Tea estate was constructed in 1928 and managed by government as part of the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC until in 2002 when the CTE took over in a privatisation bid initiated by the state as part of efforts to restructure state-owned companies.

[mbile]

TRUEMASS,
What does Njeuma has to do with the plight of these people. Some of you just have an
in born hatred for a woman who has shown
that she is above your pity jealousy. I
dont think your mother compares her to anything comparable. Stay with the topic.
A word to a wise is sufficient. Grow up
and move on!

[truemassa]

Mbile, your thinking is exactly what is wrong in Cameroon, You cannot see beyond your nose. Every incident that contributes to the suffering of the masses must not be looked at in isolation--it is a pattern. When Ugly Duckling Njeuma was campaigning for biya in Muyuka during the 2004 presidential election, she outlined a series of things that will be done to improve the quality of life if people came out and voted for biya. She made a lot of promises and ended her propaganda by saying that the last two PMs were sons of the soil. Mbile, do you read anything else apart from the few sentences on postnewsline.com? Because you do have a clue as to how society should be viewed, your domain of analysis is just around your "nose." Whereas it is your right to comment, know that people like you (Mbile) with very narrow and limited vision of society have nothing to offer but say yes, yes, yes, yes to every scenario. Actually it is a waste of time responding to you.

[mbile]

TrueMassaaaaaaaaaaaa!
You sure is thinking true your balls
since your belly is soooooooo big you
cant even locate your skinking balls. Is
Njeuma, the only politician that has not yielded to her promises? I wish you can go
ahead and dissect all the talks of our
various politicians. Like I said, your mom cant compare her in any facet of comparison.
She sure is a bare footed okrica buyam sellam in your village of origin.

[courtneyeko]

This government only reacts,it does not act.Fortunately,the leader of the CTE workers understands that well enough.hang in there, Mola,truth always wins in the end!

[Rexon]

Truemassa,

You are the best. people like Mbile and Agbormbai should be thrown out of this forum and sent to a cameroon tribune forum.

[jean paul brice]

hi i wish to comence on this issue concerning tole tea workers im a regular reading of post news and cameroonian residing in the usa i believe our president and his collaborators are very wicked bcuz john niba ngu been a friend to mr paul biya had to confussed him of a south africa investor of buying the firm of which the south african investor was a cameroonian baba as hes know after selling all the tea in tole whale house he had to close the said estate keeping hundred of families in poverty why now if could hand over the estate to fako ship for has feeling for humanity i dont blame our president but niba ngu thanks

[Awah]

Why only cameroon,i presume that,if the tole tea plantation was bought by a south african,there should be a proper negotiation to pay off the workers.South africa is a well advanced economy and i don't think a south african is involve in this privatisation process.Think about it cameroonians.we need to trance our root and move forward.Ghanian economy is picking up by devoted citizens.why only cameroon?posted by AWAH UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN,SOUTH AFRICA