Monrovia – Aggrieved former workers of the National Port Authority (NPA) and American Life Insurance Company (ALICO) pensioned employees are now demanding refund benefits from the NPA’s management.
According to the spokesman of the aggrieved former employees, Elijah Kiah, the port management currently owes them US$5.3 million which was deducted from their salary over a 10-year period. However, the Port management has failed to remit their benefits.
Mr. Kiah told FrontPageAfrica that the discovery of their money was confirmed following the completion of an independent internal audit which was conducted by NPA’s auditors on the instruction of the former managing Director of the NPA Matilda Parker.
The aggrieved former employees’ spokesman said after the discovery of their money, Madam Parker informed them it would take the Port management a period of 60 years to remit such an amount – something he claimed annoyed them.
He told reporters that as a result of madam Parker’s assertion, they took to the streets in 2011 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where former President Sirleaf had her office, but they were not fortunate to have met with her.
They were, however, received by Dr. Edward McClain the then Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Dr. Henry Boimah Fahnbulleh, Security Advisor to the President and the legal advisor, Cllr. Steward Cooper.
As a result of the meeting, US$1.5 of the US$6.8 was remitted to them, he disclosed.
In a more frustrating mood, he told reporters that they are not begging for the money in question because they worked for it over the past years and they deserve it, especially at a time when things are getting increasingly difficult for them.
“Some of our colleagues have died but their families, children, relatives and friends are alive and they need the money to survive because things are not like before,” he maintained.
Displaying documentary evidence of their situation, the chairman of the group Josiah Clement clarified that it is not the government that owes them, rather the Port Management. Mr. Kiah is of the conviction that with President George Weah’s intervention they will get their money soon.
He also disclosed that they have made frantic efforts to meet key officials of the current government to include, Nathaniel McGill, Minister of State For Presidential Affairs, Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee and deceased Public Works Minister Mobutu Nyenpan to ensure that their plights were addressed but to no avail.
“President George Weah, our son, we voted you and we trust that you can address our issue; many of us are of age and we need to survive,” Chairman Josiah re-emphasized after a one-day general meeting with his colleagues.