Cameroon

Organization responsible for the statistics

The statistics are collected by the Service des Relations professionnelles of the Ministère du Travail et de la Prévoyance sociale. They are compiled by the Division de la Statistique of that Ministry.

Objectives and users

Not available.

Coverage

Strikes and lockouts

The statistics cover: Sympathetic strikes, political or protest strikes, and general strikes are not included, nor are working to rule, go-slows, overtime bans or sit-ins.

Economic activities

The primary sector, consisting essentially of agriculture, is not covered; agricultural workers are not organised into trade union associations.

Workers

Workers directly involved and workers indirectly involved. The statistics refer to regular paid employees, including part-time workers and temporary workers. Casual workers, unpaid family workers, workers laid off and workers absent on sick or annual leave or absent for any other reason are not included in the statistics.

No particular occupational groups are excluded from the statistics.

Types of data collected

Concepts and definitions

Strike

A collective work stoppage decided by workers with the aim of enforcing a demand.

Lockout

The closure of establishments decided by entrepreneurs in order to place pressure on the staff or the administration.

Both definitions come from labour legislation.

Methods of measurement

Strikes and lockouts

The basic unit of measurement used to record a strike is the case of dispute and the economic unit.

A strike interrupted but later resumed, still due to the same case of dispute, is counted as a continuation of the same strike or lockout, if the interruption does not exceed a certain period of time.

Work stoppages arising from the same case of dispute, occurring simultaneously in different establishments of the same enterprise are counted as one strike or lockout. Those resulting from the same case of dispute but occurring at different times in different establishments of the same enterprise are counted separately. Those arising from the same case of dispute, occurring simultaneously or at different times in establishments of different enterprises are counted as separate strikes or lockouts for each establishment concerned.

Economic units involved

The economic unit is the establishment or enterprise, defined as the economic unit for the production of goods and services.

Workers involved

The number of workers involved is counted as: Part-time workers are counted as individuals on the same basis as full-time workers.

Duration

The duration is measured in terms of workdays from the date on which the strike or lockout began in the first economic unit involved up to the date on which it terminated in the last one.

Time not worked

Total time not worked is measured in terms of workdays by ascertaining the total amount of time not worked on each day of the strike or lockout, and summing these totals. Time not worked is measured for workers directly involved and workers indirectly involved. The shorter working hours of part-time workers are not taken into account, nor is overtime.

Classifications

None.

Reference period and periodicity

The statistics are compiled for periods of six months. Information collected refers to strikes and lockouts beginning during the particular reference period only.

Analytical measures

None.

Historical background of the series

Not available.

Documentation

Series available

Not available.

Bibliographic references

None.

Data published by the ILO

The number of strikes, the number of workers involved and the number of days not worked, by economic activity.

Confidentiality

Not available.

International standards

Not available.

Methods of data collection

There is a legal obligation to report the occurrence of a strike to the Ministère du Travail et de la Prévoyance sociale.

No standard form exists for this purpose.