Global union, the IUF, has condemned alleged labour rights violations impacting seasonal workers employed by the sugar company, Sosucam. A June 2025 Facebook post by the Cameroonian seasonal sugar workers union, Travailleurs Saisonniers Filière Canne à Sucre, outlines statements from the IUF Executive Committee denouncing alleged abuses against seasonal workers at the firm, including the death of a worker in protests earlier this year.

The protests occurred in February 2025, when almost 4000 workers employed by Sosucam went on strike due to delayed payments, changes in payment methods and poor working conditions. Sosucam allegedly called security forces to the strike, at which point the strike escalated violently and one worker was killed. The violence drew criticism from a French member of the European parliament, alongside government officials in Cameroon. In May 2025, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (the Resource Centre) invited Sosucam to respond to the reporting. Its response can be read in full below.

Sosucam is part of Somdia, owned by the French multinational beverage company, Castel Group. In its condemnation of the alleged labour rights violations, the IUF said Castel Group has a “moral” and “social” responsibility to ensure the rights of workers are respected in all its subsidiaries, including at Sosucam. The IUF called for a transparent and independent investigation into the worker’s death, and for fair compensation to be paid to the worker’s family.

The IUFalso said Somdia refused to recognize the local union Strascas and enter into negotiations with it. It urged Castel Group to take measures to ensure freedom of association is respected across all its subsidiaries, and said Castel Group is directly responsible for violations of union rights at Sosucam, as it is the parent company.

The protests and IUF statements follow allegations last year of precarious employment conditions at the company, including safety violations, environmental pollution, and police interrogations of labour rights activists.

Following the protests, Sosucam allegedly met with union leaders and agreed to increase workers’ salaries by CFA 1000, alongside other measures such as improving health insurance benefits. However, Business in Cameroon also reports some workers feel the salary increase is “insufficient”, and some workers have allegedly chosen to return home as they felt "disheartened by the lack of satisfactory responses from management to their demands”.

In August 2025, following the IUF's condemnation of the events, the Resource Centre invited Castel Group to respond. It's response can be read in full below, alongside additional disclosure from Sosucam.