MONROVIA – FrontPageAfrica has reliably learnt the Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services at the Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation (LWSC), Mr. Dan Sayeh, has resigned his post amid protest and humiliation meted on the administration by workers over delayed salaries.
His resignation, according to reports, is due to his disagreements with policies that he believes has brought the institution to disrepute and leading to the protest by the workers.
When contacted, Mr. Sayeh declined to comment on his resignation.
However, sources close with the development at the LWSC told FrontPageAfrica that Sayeh had often had a rough relationship with his colleagues in management as he often pointed to ills in the management of the public utility facility.
On Friday, several aggrieved employees gathered before the compound of the LWSC to stage a peaceful protest over delay in the payment of their five months each salary arrears owed them by government.
They were also protesting to draw the attention of central government and the public to the refusal of government to settle their seven months transportation allowance.
“The management of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation has been very inhumane to workers of the corporation. They have been giving us very misleading information as it relates to our salaries and benefits. This month makes it exactly five months we have not taken pay; and seven months we have not gotten transportation allowance. But every day they tell workers that you, come to work; if you do not come, we will mark you absent,” said C. Abayemi Cassell, Secretary-General of the LWSC Workers Union.
The aggrieved employees complained about the lack of tools and safety gear to enable them to carry on their assigned tasks and responsibilities void of hindrances.
They accused their bosses of allegedly living extravagantly as evidenced by their appearances and persistent change of vehicles, while their living conditions remain appalling.
They claimed that donor funding to the LWSC has not been adequately managed to actualize the core values for which the entity was established.
The protesting workers described working condition at the corporation as ‘modern day slavery and working in hell’.
“The working condition at the LWSC is like working in hell. We have to bring our own tools from our houses to come to work,” one of the protesters stated.
Cassell maintained that though employees of the agency have been committed to their assigned tasks, authorities of the LWSC continue to make working conditions ‘unfavorable’ for them.
“Every day they will tell us that next week we will take pay. Even the Board Chair, Madam Kebeh Collins told us in October that in two weeks’ time, we were going to get our pay; that did not work,” he added.