1500 workers at Lom Pangar dam site strike again

The 1500 workers on the construction site of the Lom Pangar dam in the East Region of Cameroon went on an indefinite strike on Nov. 6, 2014, we learn from credible sources.

Our sources say these workers who were recruited by the Chinese company CWE are demanding the respect of commitments made by their employers during their previous strikes.

It includes their registration with the National Social Security Fund (CNPS), and payment of certain bonuses, including their wages already discussed ??in the past.

During a strike orchestrated by construction workers of Lom Pangar from June 25 to July 3, 2012, registration with the CNPS was one of the major demands of the workers.

The Electricity Development Corporation (EDC), a secular arm of the State of Cameroon in energy infrastructure, denounced "procrastination" and "double game" of the Chinese manufacturer, which was slow in meeting commitments in relation to the improvement of working conditions of workers but receive regular payments and contract amendments, says the African Press Agency (APA), citing a source at the company.

These repeated tensions on the Lom Pangar site causing untimely stoppage of work are likely to influence the timing of construction activities, including the partial water which is to be provided between June and September 2015.

As a reminder, the reservoir dam at Lom Pangar will have a capacity of water retention of more than 6 billion m3. The 30 MW plant is co-financed by the World Bank (66 billion CFA francs), the European Investment Bank (19.7 billion CFA francs), the African Development Bank development (33 billion CFA franc), the Development Bank of Central African States (20 billion CFA francs) and the French Development Agency (39.3 billion CFA francs).