Freedom of Trade Union Membership: An Appraisal of the 1992 Labour Code of Cameroon

Trade unions defend workers' interest and act as agents of development. By virtue of the International Labour Organisation Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association of Workers and Protection of the Right to Organise, workers are free to form and belong to trade unions of their choice. The Convention leaves the question whether the freedom to belong to a trade union also include the freedom not to belong to a trade union at the determination of national legislation. As a result, membership in a trade union is a call for concern in many countries. The main objective of this paper is to ascertain whether the 1992 Labour Code of Cameroon gives workers the freedom to join trade unions or not to join trade unions at all. We adopted a doctrinal methodology, which is a content analysis of primary and secondary data. Our findings reveal amongst others that the Labour Code gives workers the freedom to belong to trade unions or not to belong to trade unions. There is however a contradiction in the provisions of the Labour Code on sanctions for violation of freedom of trade union membership. This contradiction has led to the violation of freedom of trade union membership in Cameroon. As such, it is recommended that the Labour Code be amended and a clear-cut sanction be provided for the violation of freedom of trade union membership in Cameroon.