Anglophone Church Leaders risk imprisonment over unpaid salaries

Heavy jail terms dangle over the Bishops of the Bamenda Episcopal Conference (BAPEC), the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC) and the Executive Secretary of the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC), if teachers of the aforementioned confessional schools decide to peruse a court case against the Men of God for the non-payment of their salaries.

Meeting under the umbrella of the Cameroon Confederation of Confessional Trade Unions (CCCTU) in Bamenda recently, teachers of Catholic, Presbyterian and Baptist schools said the non-payment of their salaries since February has been tabled before the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for it to arbitrate on.  

The executive members of CCCTU bemoaned that since the eruption of the November 21, 2016 teachers’ strike and its suspension in February, their salaries have not been paid by their various employees, while their colleagues in Government schools are still entitled to theirs.

They urged their respective bosses to reconsider their action and reinstate their salaries. The CCCTU executive said they are going through a torrid time with their families without salaries.

They demanded for an avenue of social dialogue and collective bargaining between the teachers, the church leaders, and any other stakeholder to enable them reach a compromise.

The executive meeting of the Confessional Trade Unions was jointly chaired by Emmanuel Ayeah, President Baptist Teachers’ Trade Union of Cameroon (BTTUC), Gilbert Lakinyu, Vice President Catholic Workers’ Trade Union (CEWOTU) and Stephens Afu Kwah, President Presbyterian Education Authority Teachers’ Trade Union (PEATTU).

Speaking at the conclave, the National President of CCCTU, Afu Kwah, said the issue of non-payment of teachers’ salaries has subjected them to untold hardship.

“But it is this Ministry of Labour AND Social Security that can determine when the issue can generate into a court case... The Labour Code in section 34 to 40 is very clear on this,” Afu Kwah noted.

Members of CCCTU said teachers of confessional schools sacrificed a lot to produce quality results, despite working under very difficult conditions.

Their complains are coming barely a few weeks after the aforementioned church leaders were sued at the Bamenda and Buea Courts of First Instance  by a Consortium of Parents, whose children attend mission schools.

But the CCCTU Executive regretted that their various church leaders have been dragged to court by a group of unknown individuals.

However, if the Ministry of Labour and Social Security fails to strike a compromise  between the teachers and the Anglophone church leaders; then Mgrs Cornelius Fontem Esua, Michael Bibi, George Nkuo, Immanuel Bushu, Agapitus Nfon, Andrew Nkea, Rev Samuel Fonki and Rev Godwill Chiatoh Ncham will heading to the courts again.