On November 10, professors and lecturers all across Cameroon, organized through the National Union of Teachers of Higher Education (SYNES), will attempt to stage a week-long nation-wide strike in protest of poor working conditions and abysmal salaries. According to SYNES, professors in Cameroon are the poorest paid University level educators in Africa, including less wealthy and stable nations such as Chad. I’ve been told that the police and the military (including gendarmes) earn much more than professors, and that their salaries will be increased yet again because of government fears of a coup.
Professors aren’t the only ones that are unsatisfied with their working conditions or low pay: the Cameroonian postal service has been on strike, demanding higher pay. This has been fairly disruptive; especially since the nearest DHL office is in Douala, about 60 miles away. This also means that I have no idea if will be able to get my absentee ballot to the US in time to be counted. These strikes follow strikes and riots in February, when discontentment withe the government, a taxi strike protesting high fuel costs, and the global spikes in food prices coincided with deadly consequences.
I'm confident that these strikes will be safe and nonviolent, but they do seem to be signs that the discontent of the current administration are becoming increasingly outspoken.
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