To avoid 2008-type deadly riot : Biya dispatches seven ministers to beg transporters

Nationwide strike called off but gov’t given one month ultimatum to review situation or face the music

By Amindeh Blaise Atabong in Yaounde

In a spirited effort to avoid a repeat of the 2008 deadly riots that swept across the country, President Biya late last week dispatched seven government ministers to beg transporters to call off a nationwide strike that would have been staged today.

President Paul Biya

The first of such meetings to plead with transporters’ syndicates to call off today’s planned strike action took place at the ministry of transport last Thursday. In attendance were the ministers of transport, labour and social security, commerce, the delegate general for national security, the secretary of state in-charge of the gendarmarie and a representative of the minister of finance.

Apparently smarting from the disagreement that characterised Thursday’s meeting and without wanting to leave anything to chance, President Biya, The Guardian Post gathered, instructed the minister of labour and social security, Gregoire Owona, to hold another crisis meeting with some twenty representatives of transporters’ syndicates.

It was during last Saturday’s meeting between the minister of labour and social security and some twenty transporters’ syndicates that both parties reached an agreement to call off today’s nationwide strike. Labour and social security minister, we learnt, was not only more than submissive at the meeting but pleaded with the transporters, virtually on bended knees to call off today’s annoiunced industrial action. He took the commitment on behalf of the Yaounde authorities to see into the concerns that are being raised by transporters as a result of government’s decision to increase the prices of petroleum products.

Announcing the decision to call off strike action, the national president of Taxi Transporters’ Syndicate, Patrice Samen warned that they were giving government only a month to address their grievances or should be ready to face the music. Hear him: ‘‘If after one month, government fails to address our grievances, we would mobilise over two hundred syndicates to join us in a nationwide strike’’.

While the minister of labour and social security was instructed to sweet-talk transporters to call off today’s strike, that of commerce, Mbarga Atangana Luc Magloire was dispatched to Douala, same day to plead with economic operators not to increase the prices of basic commodities. Government, he told businessmen in three different markets visited, had taken necessary measures to ensure that the increase in fuel prices does not affect the prices of goods and foodstuffs.

Another government official dispatched to calm down rising tempers was the minister of public works, Patrice Amba Salla who struggled to convince public opinion in media outings that the money which government would have used to subsidize fuel would now be directed to carrying out several public projects in the country.    

The national coordinator of the Inter Transporters’ Union, Hamadou Djika told The Guardian Post that even though they had been expecting fuel-price hike, the decision came too urgent and took them unawares.

For his part, the national president of Professional Drivers and Transporters’ Union, Ibrahim Yaya, maintained that he was in particular not in agreement with the resolve to stage a strike. “I was not in line with the decision to go down the streets for a strike action… all I expected from government was to put in place all the necessary measures accompanying the fuel price hikes before increasing the prices”, he sustained.

Also commenting on the development, the national president of Motorbikes Union, Ferdinand Fongang disclosed that their major worry was addressed in the discussions with government ministers. “We were not happy with the decision because immediately it was taken, we were highly affected. Fuel prices were increased but the transport fares remained the same, so we were almost working at a loss. But today government has agreed with us to step up transport fares in order to make-up the increase in fuel prices”, Fongang told this reporter.

Meanwhile, the accompanying measures include the imminent salary increase of state workers as well as an increment in the minimum wage in the country which today stands at 28.500FCFA, the reduction of packing fee and the reduction of discharge taxes. The price of kerosene would also remain at 350FCFA per litre.

Even though government has announced that negotiations with transporters will continue today with the view to stepping up taxi fares and inter-urban transport, The Guardian Post gathered that transporters have already moved fares from Buea to Yaounde from 4000FCFA to 5000FCFA while that from Bamenda to Yaounde has been increased from 5000FCFA to 6000FCFA.

It should be recalled that according to a June 30 prime ministerial order, a litre of super would now cost 650FCFA up from 569FCFA; a litre of gasoil would on its part cost 600FCFA up from 520FCFA while a bottle of 12.5kg of cooking gas would move from 6000FCFA to 6.500FCFA.