The Place of Trade Unions in Employment Relations under Cameroonian Law: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

A trade union refers to an organization formed to negotiate with employers, on behalf of workers collectively, about job-related issues such as salary, benefits, hours, and working conditions. It is a settled law, both within local jurisprudence and the international arena that there are inherent and inalienable rights of a worker be it in the public or the private sector to join a trade union or association without any prior authorization. There are various attempts to regulate the formation and registration of a trade union through legislation in various countries. The current regulatory framework on trade unions in Cameroon (Law No. 92/007 of 14 August 1992 on Labour code) is marred with many ambiguities which raises worries as to its applicability. Consequently, this paper has as main objective to critically examine the effective application of the Labour Code in guaranteeing the formation, functioning and the rights of trade unionism in Cameroon. In this light, adopting an in-depth content analysis based on primary and secondary sources of data collection is imperative, thus, this research concludes that the Cameroon Labour Code as the master piece of legislation on trade unionism in Cameroon contains some obsolete and vague provisions which require revision and clarification in order to be effectively applied in consonant with internationally ratified norms. These drawbacks (limitations) will therefore necessitate the suggestion of some possible recommendations to provide an enabling legal environment for the organization and functioning of trade unions in Cameroon.