IPNews-Monrovia,Liberia-24 February 2018:Labour Minister Moses Y. Kollie has promised that his administration will recruit and deploy qualified Labour Inspectors throughout the country. He has been confirmed by the Senate.
He said if the Ministry must fully implement the Decent Work Act of 2015; it needs qualified inspectors and Labour Solicitors to assist workers who may seek justice but does not have the means to sponsor them (employees) in court.
“We have intended to have Labour Solicitors and Inspectors to be trained and capable to effectively monitor all workplaces in Liberia. Labour Inspectors are the ambassadors of the Ministry of Labour and we are going to institute appropriate measures in making sure that they are respected and are dignified,” Minister Kollie added.
Speaking further, Minister Kollie added that the Ministry of Labour is the bedrock of the nation when it comes to the employment situation in Liberia and as such, his priority will be to establish the National Tripartite Council (NTC) and Minimum Wage Board in line with the Decent Work Act of 2015.
“We are aware that the expectations of the major actors in the Labour sector, especially the workers, are very high just as the chairman of Labour in the 54th National Legislature rightly stated. In the workplace, employees are expected to have a well-paid wage and benefits so, we intend to improve on those things,” he said.
Minister Kollie added that his administration will establish a database on the issuance of alien work permits as well as to create a website of the Ministry of Labour to enable people to get some idea on the new Labour law of Liberia and other workings of the Ministry to ensure compliance with the system.
Taking over the Ministry on Tuesday, Minister Kollie used the occasion to encourage employers through the Liberia Chamber of Commerce (LCC) to regularize the status of their alien workers and that in doing so the Ministry expects a full disclosure of the employment records of employees.
He said his administration will sit with the leadership of various employment sectors and communities to have some conversations on the best way to move the country’s Labour sectors forward.
The Labour Minister has meanwhile given all employers and employment institutions operating in Liberia up to March 31, 2018, to regularize the status of all non-Liberians in their employ.
He said immediately after March 31, 2018, a special task force from the Ministry of Labour (MOL) will be deployed in the field to identify non-Liberians working in the country without work permits, noting that there are laws which empower the Ministry of Labour (MOL) to conduct such an inspection.
Meanwhile, the ceremony was witnessed by several former and current officials of government, executives of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), the chairman of Senate Committee on Labour, the Liberia Labour Congress (LLC), Liberia Chamber Commerce (LCC) and family members, among others.
