THE PROTECTION OF A WORKER’S RIGHT TO NON-DISCRIMINATION UNDER CAMEROONIAN LABOUR LAW

Abstract

A worker’s right to non-discrimination is a fundamental human right which has been guaranteed and enshrined in international, regional and national instruments. The protection of this right remains a global concern in ensuring that workers or employees are protected from discriminatory practices. In this connection, even though the 1992 Labour Code of Cameroon expressly prohibits discrimination on grounds of trade union activities, it fails to exhaustively address other grounds of employment discrimination such as: discrimination based on, race, sexual orientation, disability, age amongst others. The very narrow and inexhaustive manner with which a worker’s right to non-discrimination has been treated in the Labour Code accounts for the blatant discriminatory practices in private sector employment in the country. To this end, the paper seeks to examine the protection of worker’s right to non-discrimination as is confectioned under the 1992 Labour Code and the extent of its application in Cameroon. In this light, we adopted an in-depth content analysis and critical evaluation of the primary and secondary sources of data. This research concludes that the Cameroon Labour legislation to an extent, guarantees the right to non-discrimination, but its effective implementation leaves much to be desired. This has necessitated the suggestion of some policy recommendations for the way forward.