Civilian employees working for the Ministry of Defence were no exception to the rule. For these civil servants and government employees covered by Cameroon’s labour code, it was a question of celebrating the day dedicated to them. The highly evocative theme chosen for the occasion, “Constructive social dialogue, a factor in promoting decent work and social progress”, enabled the workers of this ministerial department to grasp the fundamental elements of the implementation of decent work free of all professional obstacles.

The traditional parade on the Boulevard du 20 Mai was a resounding success, delighting all the officials present in the stands for the occasion. It was precisely at around 3pm, in the Presidential Room of the Brigade Headquarters in Yaoundé, that the wine of honour was offered by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, represented on this occasion by the Secretary General, Mr SAÏD KAMSOULOUM, accompanied by the Colonel, Director of Human Resources; the Colonel, Director of Military Justice; the Colonel, Director of the Joint Commissariat, and the Head of the Civilian Personnel Management Office. After the introductory speech by the Colonel, Director of Human Resources, the MINDEF Civilian Personnel delegates were given the opportunity to review the past year, and to express a number of grievances to senior management, including: the finalisation of the contractualisation process; improvements in the processing of career files; and finally, the annual budgeting of International Labour Day in order to better involve colleagues from decentralised services who very often feel forgotten.

The Secretary General, in his address, provided adequate answers to some of the concerns expressed by the Civilian Staff delegates, reassuring them that administrative steps were being taken with the specialised services of the Ministry of the Civil Service and Administrative Reform (MINFOPRA) to lead to the creation, within the Ministry of Defence, of a SIGIPES unit dedicated to the management of the careers and pay of civilian staff. He went on to recommend open collaboration with military colleagues to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome. It should be noted that the previous day, sports matches between the men’s and women’s football teams of the SED/CGN and MINDEF were held at the National Gendarmerie stadium, with the SED teams winning.

Overall, the activities associated with the 138th celebration of International Labour Day at the Ministry of Defence were a remarkable success, and the Secretary General was quick to express the satisfaction of the hierarchy to the Colonel, Director of Human Resources, for the quality of the organisation.