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Lecturers On Strike Over Working Conditions |
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By Roland Mbonteh
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008 |
University lecturers in the state universities in Cameroon have since Monday 10 November, grounded activities at the lecture halls for what they have termed a warning strike action in respect of the call by the National Syndicate of the Union of Teachers in Higher Education, SYNES for a strike action.
The lecturers are asking for an improvement in their working and living conditions, which demand, they say, has been overdue despite repeated calls for the government to increase their pay packages and provide other facilities.
At the University of Buea, for instance, the bustling and fanfare that usually characterise the campus, eluded the institution Monday and even by press time the atmosphere was still void of the normal ambiance.
As early as 7 am Monday morning, students who had lectures at that time were already seated in their respective lecture halls expecting their course masters who in some cases did not even show up while others came just to see for themselves if the call for a strike action was respected.
Some other lectures played the eye servant game and pretended to be teaching when the UB Vice Chancellor was going round the amphitheatres alongside his collaborators to check the situation at the University of Buea, our source told Eden.
Attempts to get the Vice Chancellor to comment on the situation failed. This reporter was told he was in a meeting. Unconfirmed sources hinted that he and his close collaborators were in conclave at the Boardroom of the Central Administration probably to map out plans on how to lure lecturers back to the classrooms.
The amphitheatres were almost deserted as just a handful of students too could be spotted around the campus hoping to have their lecturers. At some offices, a few lecturers were seen idling around while in some others one could hear the endless phones ringing but nobody to answer the calls.
Meanwhile, a release signed by the Secretary General of the National Union of Teachers in the Higher Education, known in its French acronym as SYNES, Innocent Futcha, titled “A call for strike action”, has been posted at various strategic locations on campus.
According to the 3 November release, the lecturers have been urged to stay away from classes from Monday 10 to Saturday 15 November for the first phase, which, they say, is a warning strike action and if government fails to respond positively to their plight, the release continued, the strike action will from that date take a more vigorous twist as will be deemed necessary by the executive of SYNES.
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