In every functioning society, the welfare of workers stands at the center of national stability and development. A government that expects efficiency, patriotism, and productivity from its employees must first ensure that those employees can live with dignity. Unfortunately, in Liberia today, the reality of the public workforce reveals a painful contradiction between political promises and economic justice.
By George S Tengbeh, contributing writer
There are government employees whose work portfolios and responsibilities have significantly increased, yet they continue to earn less than $200 per month. Such wages in no way reflect or compensate for their professional experience, level of responsibility, or educational qualifications. The disparity between their workload and remuneration highlights a troubling disregard for the value of skilled public service. Despite the existence of the Decent Work Act of 2015, which establishes US$143 as the national minimum wage, many Liberian civil servants continue to earn humiliating monthly salaries of US$70, US$90, US$100, and US$120. This is not merely an administrative oversight; it represents a deeper structural failure in the governance of the labour market and the social welfare system. Institutions such as the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), the Liberia National Police (LNP), and the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) continue to struggle with poor salary structures and weak social welfare benefits. These are not peripheral institutions; they represent the backbone of Liberia’s security and administrative framework. Yet the individuals who serve within them remain trapped in a cycle of low wages and inadequate support systems.
The consequences of this reality extend far beyond individual hardship. When public servants are forced to survive on wages below the legal minimum, the entire governance system becomes vulnerable to inefficiency, corruption, and declining morale.
The Political Economy of Broken Promises
During public engagements, the Minister of Finance, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, assured the Liberian public that by the middle of 2025, no government employee would earn below US$143 under the government’s wage harmonization initiative known as #IMPROVE. The promise raised hope among thousands of struggling civil servants who believed that meaningful reform was finally approaching.
The implementation date, around June 2025, has long passed. Yet on the ground, very little has changed. For thousands of workers in the Liberian civil service, the promise of salary reform has once again become another entry in a long history of unfulfilled commitments. This recurring cycle, where reforms are announced but rarely implemented, creates what could be described as a political economy of broken promises. This pattern also reveals a deeper institutional problem: the absence of social welfare as a core policy priority in governance.
Social Welfare and Labour Economics: Lessons from Karl Marx
The importance of workers’ welfare is not a new idea. More than a century ago, the German philosopher and economist Karl Marx argued that the foundation of economic stability lies in the relationship between labour and capital. In his analysis, when labour is systematically undervalued, workers become alienated from their work, and society begins to experience social instability. Marx introduced the concept of “surplus value,” explaining how labour produces wealth that often accumulates disproportionately among those who control economic systems. When workers are underpaid relative to their productivity, the imbalance leads to social tension and economic inequality.
While Liberia’s situation differs from the industrial societies Marx examined, the principle remains relevant: a workforce that cannot meet its basic needs cannot sustain a productive economy.
Civil servants who struggle to feed their families or pay rent will inevitably face psychological stress, reduced motivation, and declining productivity. This phenomenon, which Marx described as the alienation of labour, becomes visible in public institutions where employees feel disconnected from the system they serve.
The Welfare State Perspective: Keynes and Modern Labour Economics
Another influential economist, John Maynard Keynes, offered a different but complementary perspective. Keynes argued that governments must play an active role in ensuring economic stability by supporting employment and social welfare.
In Keynesian economics, wages are not merely a cost of production; they are also a driver of economic demand. When workers earn higher incomes, they spend more within the economy, which stimulates business activity and overall growth. Applying this principle to Liberia reveals a striking incongruity. If thousands of civil servants earn below the legal minimum wage, their ability to participate in the economy becomes extremely limited. Instead of stimulating economic growth, low wages suppress domestic demand and slow national development.
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Liberia’s Persistent Welfare Gap
Liberia’s civil service has historically suffered from structural weaknesses, including fragmented payroll systems, political patronage, and inconsistent wage reforms. While several administrations have promised modernization, progress has remained slow. The irony is that many of the same civil servants currently facing low wages voted overwhelmingly for change in recent elections. Their expectation was simple: a government that would respect their dignity and recognize their service. Yet the structural pattern appears painfully familiar. Political leaders often prioritize visible infrastructure projects or elite administrative expenditures while neglecting the welfare of the workforce that keeps government institutions functioning. This neglect creates what can only be described as an institutional contradiction: a state that depends on public servants but fails to invest in their well-being.
The Social Cost of Ignoring Civil Servants
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Consider the institutions mentioned earlier: the police, immigration officers, firefighters, and disaster management personnel. These professionals operate on the frontlines of public safety. Their work requires discipline, courage, and constant readiness.
Yet many of them survive on wages that barely meet basic living standards.
When frontline workers struggle economically, several risks emerge:
1. Low morale and declining motivation
2. Increased vulnerability to corruption
3. Reduced institutional efficiency
4. Loss of skilled professionals to better-paying sectors
In labour economics, these outcomes are often described as efficiency wage failures. The theory suggests that workers perform better when wages exceed the bare minimum required for survival. Conversely, extremely low wages undermine productivity and institutional loyalty.
Liberia’s current situation demonstrates exactly this challenge.
A Liberian Perspective on Labour Justice
From a Liberian standpoint, the debate about labour welfare must move beyond abstract economic theories and focus on practical realities.
As I simply put it, “When the welfare of employees and the workforce in any country is ignored, it becomes almost impossible for that society to maintain decency, stability, and genuine national progress.” –George S Tengbeh
This observation captures a fundamental truth: national development begins with human dignity.
Civil servants are not simply government employees. They are teachers, officers, administrators, technicians, and caregivers who keep the machinery of the state functioning every day. When their welfare is neglected, the entire system suffers.
Why Social Welfare Must Become the Core Policy Priority
For Liberia to build a strong and effective public service, social welfare must move from the margins of policy discussions to the center of national planning.
Below, I have listed several reforms that could begin addressing this challenge:
1. Full Enforcement of the Minimum Wage Law
The government must ensure that every civil servant earns at least the legal minimum wage established under the Decent Work Act.
2. Comprehensive Salary Harmonization
Fragmented salary structures should be replaced with a transparent and standardized pay system across government institutions.
3. Strengthening Social Protection Programs
Civil servants require access to health insurance, housing support, and pension security. Pension benefit calculation must be done according to the currency that pays over 60% of an employee’s salary.
4. Institutional Accountability
Budget commitments related to wages and welfare must be implemented on schedule, not merely announced in political speeches.
The Moral Question of Governance
At its core, the debate over civil servant welfare is not only economic, but it is also moral.
A government that demands loyalty from its workforce must demonstrate loyalty in return. Respecting the dignity of public servants is not a luxury; it is a fundamental requirement of responsible governance.
Liberia’s future depends heavily on the strength of its institutions, and institutions are only as strong as the people who operate them.
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Liberia stands at a perilous moment in its governance history. The promises made to civil servants represent an opportunity to rebuild trust between the state and its workforce. However, trust cannot be sustained by speeches alone; it must be supported by concrete policy action.
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As labour economists from Karl Marx to John Maynard Keynes have emphasized in different ways, the prosperity of any society is inseparable from the well-being of its workers.
Liberia must now decide whether it will continue repeating cycles of political promises or finally place social welfare at the heart of national policy.
Because when the people who serve the nation are forced to struggle for survival, the nation itself ultimately
pays the price.