Modernising Labour Code: Ascertaining Application Too!

P ublic and private sector workers in Cameroon are beaming with enthusiasm, hoping to see what would change in the weeks or months ahead, following a recent announcement that the existing labour legislation is under review. In effect, the revision of the 1992 Labour Code in Cameroon was the central objective of the 50th session of the Committee for Consultation and Monitoring of Social Dialogue, chaired in Yaounde on September 22, 2026 by Labour and Social Security Minister, Grégoire Owona. An all-inclusive approach that raises much hope! The anxiety of those already employed and even potential workers stems from the fact that the 1992 Labour Code that is in force in the country has insufficiencies vis-à-vis the realities of the moment: Outmoded, to say the least! Obviously so as a piece of legislation enacted over three decades ago cannot fully align with the exigencies of labour market, more so in a fast evolving society. Resisting innovation would have been equal to stagnation or even regress. Understandably so as analysts say the main shortcoming of the Law No. 92/007 of 14 August 1992 embodying the Labour Code lies in its failure to address the growing instability of employment, its inability to adequately regulate the informal sector and the opacities in some of its pro­ tective provisions. Whereas it is common knowledge that one of the components of job satisfaction is its protection. A worker who is not sure to work today and tomorrow; owing to the fact that employers hire and fire at will, cannot take any risk to improve on what is being done. For, success would be for the boss and failure on he who tried and failed. Another seriously cited limitation of the existing Labour Code is its poor implementation in the informal economy. It is no news that the informal sector in Cameroon employs the majority of the workforce, (over 80 per cent going by the National Institute of Statistics). Yet, it reportedly suffers from lack of practical legal framework and difficult access to justice et al. Startling revelations that barely 15 per cent of promoters of the informal sector have an idea of social security with affiliation of their workers to the social security system or purchase of an insurance policy almost non-existent tell of a serious problem requiring adapted legislation. The announcement by the Minister during the Yaounde conclave that in-depth consultations with all social partners and certain sectoral authorities have helped to consolidate and enrich the text under scrutiny and that it is an improved draft, reflecting everyone’s aspirations, gives reasons to hope. Heralding a legal instrument that meets aspirations and aligns with the time. Among the new standards said to be integrated in the much-awaited Labour Code are digital platforms and remote working. Stakeholders say the overall target is to provide Cameroon, by 2027, with a Labour Code that pro­ tects platform workers, regulates remote working and sa­ feguards businesses among other innovations. Attention is now focused on its application. Indeed, this is where the change that the revision will bring should be seen and felt. The country is reputed for possessing very good laws, some of which are even copied and adapted by other friendly partners. However, implementation has almost always proven a very difficult nut to crack. Either they are “progressively” applied, de­ pending on the whims and the caprices of the management in place or done so in a discriminatory manner to suit their selfish interests. This story should therefore be made to change with the new Labour Code, once it is examined and adopted by legislators and then promulgated into law by the Head of State. Complaints of selective implementation of the Labour Code and discrepancies in applying certain provisions of the same law by actors of the same sector sho...