I n several bars and drinking establishments run by Cameroonian nationals, Gabonese waitresses report salaries well below the SMIG (minimum wage), irregular payments, constant pressure, and the frequent change of managers as a strategy to avoid complaints. Due to a lack of inspections by the Ministry of Labour, these young women remain trapped in organized precariousness.

Derisory Wages and Undignified Working Conditions : Across many neighbourhoods in Libreville—PK5, Nzeng-Ayong, Lalala, Akébé, or Owendo—the accounts of Gabonese waitresses are similar. Behind the neon lights of the drinking spots, these young women work ten to twelve hours a day for wages ranging between 35,000 and 50,000 FCFA, significantly below the Gabonese SMIG (minimum wage) set at 150,000 FCFA. "We are promised a fixed salary, but sometimes we only receive half, sometimes nothing for two months," confides Christelle, 23, hired without a contract. The practice is common: delayed wages, unjustified deductions, excessive hours, lack of breaks, and no social security coverage. Yet, for many, the work is vital due to a lack of professional or familial alternatives.

Organized Exploitation and Suspicious Manager Rotation : The owners—most often Cameroonian nationals established in the exploitation of informal drinking establishments—have set up a well-oiled system. They regularly change the managers, sometimes every two or three months, to start over and neutralize internal disputes. Each new manager imposes their rules, renegotiates terms, and uses a "cash flow problem" as an excuse to delay payments. Some waitresses even report being verbally dismissed when they insist on their salaries: "They tell us they are going to change the manager and that everything will be sorted out, but we end up leaving empty-handed," explains Mireille, 19. This permanent rotation, combined with the absence of written documents, allows the exploiters to circumvent any form of legal liability.

Administrative Silence and Call for Urgent Action : Despite the scale of the phenomenon, inspections by the Ministry of Labour are almost non-existent in this informal but highly developed sector. Inspectors, often focused on large corporations, neglect the drinking establishments where abuses are nevertheless systematic. Trade unions and NGOs defending workers' rights warn of the risk of a "lawless zone" where precariousness is becoming institutionalized. Under the 5th Republic, several organizations are calling for urgent regularization: deployment of targeted inspections, mandatory written contracts, sanctions against repeat offenders, and professional support for young women in vulnerable situations. Without rapid intervention, they warn, an entire generation of workers will remain trapped in an invisible but deep system of exploitation.