Trade unionism and labour control in agro-industry in Cameroon : the case of the Cameroon Development Corporation, 1947-1986

The Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), a public enterprise with a permanent labour force of some 16,000 workers, is one of the oldest and certainly the largest agro-industrial enterprise in Cameroon. In order to maximize labour productivity, output, and capital accumulation, the State and CDC management have devised various strategies to transform trade unionism from a vehicle of labour resistance into an instrument of labour control. They have been only partly successful. Despite its acceptance of the model of 'free, but responsible' trade unionism, the relatively moderate CDC Workers' Union (CDCWU) leadership was regularly forced to leave the bargaining table and to resort to militant action because of the recalcitrant attitude of management and continuous pressure from the rank and file. In 1972 the State introduced a 'new' trade union model, based on a single trade union centre, totally subordinated to the Party and aimed at increasing union control over labour for the sake of 'national development and reconstruction'. The CDCWU was dissolved and the large majority of its membership became part of the Fako Agricultural Workers' Union (FAWU). However, in spite of the subordination of the union to Party and management control and the cooption of union leadership, workers have continued to engage in a variety of collective and informal modes of resistance, including strike action, insubordination, output restriction, unauthorized absence, fraud and theft, sabotage and arson, and job doubling