GBARNGA, Bong County – Classes at the Bong County Technical College Tuesday remained largely empty as teachers of the college begin an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries owed them by government.
Liberia is battling its worst economic drought in more than a decade, as the economy is beset by cash shortages, prompting small spontaneous protests over the past three months.
According to the teachers, the strike became imperative given the government’s inability to address their arrears.
It’s noted that the teachers’ strike came with the directive that “until the outstanding salary arrears are paid completely they should not resume work.
The teachers on Tuesday stayed home despite the commencement of a new semester for academic 2019/2020 following the inability of the government to pay their salary backlogs.
The government owes teachers and other categories of workers arrears of salaries for four months.
Our reporter tour of the campus Tuesday established that students who turned up on Monday and Tuesday were stranded as there was no teachers in their classes.
The pupils were said to have played away their time and later returned to their various homes after waiting in vain for their teachers to resume work.
On Tuesday, FrontPageAfrica gathered that students didn’t bother going to school after they were told their teachers were on strike.
The teachers are making good their threat after exhausting the final two-week ultimatum they gave the government.
The teachers accused the government of violating all the agreements they reached.
The teachers in a communique had asked the government to reverse to its pre-harmonization status and pay them equally with other teachers with similar qualifications at University of Liberia and Tubman University.
When contacted, the president of the college, Dr. Roland Massaquoi, was said to be in meeting. Further calls to his mobile phone indicated that it was off.