BCC: Mayor debunks salary cuts, asks workers to apologize

Some workers of the Bamenda City Council complained that the City Mayor, Paul Achombong, had planned to reduce salaries of workers by 50%.

Some workers who reached out to CNA and begged not to be named said they were informed that their salaries would be reduced and that those who did not want to receive the new scale, should resign.

After Cameroon News Agency posted the complaints, the Mayor organized a meeting with his staff on the Salary issues. He said the 2014 payment scale gave staff many opportunities but that it was later slashed because of the implementation of a 2023 reduction by the President.

“In the looking of this harmonized scale, it was clear that most of these allowances and facilities which city council staff used to benefit were suppressed…some misguided and ill-informed Council staff took to the social media saying that the City Mayor has cut off their salaries…” Paul told state media.

The Mayor said it is not the Council’s will to cut down the benefits. He also said those who attended the meeting were happy.

But CNA got information that the staff were threatened and asked to write an apology letter and send it to the SDO of Mezam Division in the North West region.

“He went ahead to ask our Staff Delegates to write a letter to the SDO on behalf of the staff to apologize that we are sorry is a mistake we made. It was horrible that the Mayor debunked it. He told us about laws and even said if the money is small we are free to resign.” a worker anonymously revealed to CNA what happened during the meeting.

“How will you our Mayor tell us that the salary scale that was signed some months ago by you, the SDO, and other administrators in a commission was a fake, and that is why you are cutting the salary.
We even thought he would tell us that it was because is the situation of the town but no, he turned us around with political words to give room for 3 questions and when the first person stood up he decided to make it difficult to ask questions so nobody could get up and ask, we are doomed. We have nothing to do, we could not do anything, God alone will fight this battle for the staff.”