Tripartite meeting: the General Manager of SODECAO, the staff representatives and heads of centres.

A General Manager who is available and attentive to the needs of his staff.

This was the conclusion that emerged from the meeting between the General Manager of SODECAO, the staff representatives and his other collaborators.

On April 02, 2024, the General Manager of SODECAO received the staff representatives and heads of SODECAO's external units in the SODECAO Auditorium, pursuant to the provisions of Order No. 000365/MINTSS of March 12, 2020 establishing the terms and conditions for elections and the exercise of the functions of staff representatives, and for administrative purposes.

 The General Manager, Mr EKO'O AKOUAFANE Jean Claude, who has been running the company since 2018, did not fail to recall the context in which SODECAO is operating, a context characterized by a very fragile financial and cash situation, thus affecting the current functioning of the structure. He stated that despite these major challenges, General Management continues to multiply its actions to ensure that the company stays afloat, and he invited the staff representatives and heads of external units to lend a hand, so that together they can build a strong and efficient SODECAO.    

The General Manager also dwelt on the major breakthroughs in the life of SODECAO since his appointment at the helm of the company and we noted among others: the improvement of the working environment, the evaluation of the social debt of SODECAO until 2019 to the tune of 2 billion, the upgrading of salaries, the regularization of staff advancements etc. He pointed out that all these actions had generated a considerable payroll, but despite these difficulties, he continues to put the staff at the centre of his priorities as a manager.

He then gave the floor to the staff representatives to present the difficulties or challenges they face, as he listened attentively while promising to continue working in order to ensure that they enjoy the best possible working conditions.

Before bringing the meeting to a close, the General Manager once again reminded everyone of their role. To the staff representatives, he reiterated that they are the staff's spokespersons. In other words, they are the relay between management and the staff, not trade unionists. They must be efficient and motivated in order to encourage the staff to perform to the best of their ability, in order to improve the performance of the company. He also deplored the actions of some of them, which are undermining the smooth running of the structure.

To the centre heads who are his collaborators in the external units, he gave a few instructions: "make sure that unorthodox and counter-efficient practices that undermine regulations and professional ethics are not commonplace in the centres which, you are managing, enforce strict compliance with technical itineraries and good agricultural practices, secure production and respect good post-harvest practices, etc.". He also listened attentively to the various grievances expressed by the latter while promising to do the needful to that effect.

It was on this note and in a good-natured atmosphere that the General Manager brought the discussions to a close.