—As Transport Ministry Employees Plan Black-Monday Protest

IPNEWS: It is now clear that there are  high possibilities for the spread of protest action across various government Ministries and Agencies over salary harmonization and increment.

The protest action for salary increment has spread from the Ministry of Information to Mines and Energy Ministry and now the Ministry of Transport.

On Friday, March 31, disenchanted employees of the Ministry of Transport abandoned duties in protest of salary increments and other benefits.

According to the Transport Workers Association president Jefferson Brown (JB), the Association has been in dialogue with authorities of the Ministry of Finance and Development planning for the increment and alignment of pay grades by qualification for the last five years to no avail.

Brown told IPNEWS that employees of the Transport Ministry make as low as US$75.00  and LRD 6,000.00 monthly even though the Transport Ministry continues to greatly contribute to revenue generation of Liberia yet it has been overlooked by the National government.

He stated that employees of the Ministry of Transport will on Monday, April 3, begin a series of protest actions at various points to ensure their just benefit is made available.

“Look let me tell you, we are not going to let loose this protest action until our salaries are increased. Beginning Monday, there will be no work here but a day called ‘Black Monday’. We can no longer continue this while our families remain in abject poverty. ” Jefferson Brown to IPNEWS.

In February and March, similar protests rocked the Ministries of Information and Mines and Energy over salary increments and salary disparities.

At the Ministry of Information, the protesting employee’s spokesman stated that during the harmonization process, most of the names that were included on the Ministry’s payroll were allegedly fake.

He alleged that because of that, there are people at the ministry taking two to three salaries on those ghosts’ names.

Another employee at the ministry, Musu Boikai also said they are earning low salaries and wages to the tune of US$40, $50, $60, and sometimes $70, while others are taking US$45.

She added that they have engaged the administration on several occasions concerning the pay issue, but Minister Ledgehood J. Reenie has allegedly not responded.

She said this has been ongoing for close to five years now.

Additionally, Joshua D. Cooper explained that they deserve better than what they are getting.

“We can not be working and not able to take our children to ice cream shop like other officials of the ministry,” Cooper lamented.

He claimed that the salary is insufficient to sustain their families. He said they are appealing to the government to see a reason to increase their pay.

As he spoke, his colleagues held banners with the inscription “Professional people deserve better pay.”

Other banners read: “Disparities in Salary is a disease and stop the class system at workplace MICAT.”

They warned that they will go nowhere unless MICAT agrees to increase their pay.

The administration promised a redress in the soonest possible time.

Receiving the position statement on behalf of the MFDP, Mr. Dell Francis Wreh assured the group that by Monday, they will sit in a close meeting to dialogue in finding the solution to the problem.

He said the statement will be taken to the necessary authority to go through all of what had been listed.

Mr. Wreh encouraged the protesters to be patient and meet Monday to have the final dialogue.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy, disenchanted employees last week brought normal working activities to a standstill at the Ministry of Mines & Energy (MME), over salary increments.

The aggrieved employees’ workers held placards at the Ministry calling on the minister of Land and Minds to address ongoing salary disparity at the ministry.

Speaking to reporters during the protest, the aggrieved employees through its secretary general, Lawrence Denkee alleged that there are Employees at the Ministry with a first degree in Mining, but are earning $150 U.S. as a monthly salary, while others with the same qualification are making more than 150 dollars.

Recently, President George Weah while delivering his last state of the nation address admitted that his administration is ‘paying some public sector workers wages’ that are far below the country’s minimum wage standard.

President Weah’s admission came as a surprise, given that he had not addressed such an issue until now when he is running for re-election.  The numbers of people affected, according to the president, amount to some 15,000 government employees whose monthly salary remains below the country’s minimum wage of 150 dollars.

Weah however sought to reframe the narrative, claiming that he had not been aware of the issue throughout his nearly six years in office while announcing a solution.

“As domestic revenue improves, we remain committed to enhancing the welfare of Government workers. I have been informed that some 15,000 Government workers still make below the minimum wage of 150 dollars, as mandated by the Decent Work Act,” the Liberian leader said while addressing the nation on January 30.

“This is completely unacceptable. No Government worker should make below the minimum wage mandated by public law. I have therefore directed that, as part of the 2023 budget, the wages for all such workers be raised at or above the minimum wage. I am informed that the cost to achieve this is estimated at US$6 million annually.”