Weala, Margibi County — FrontPageAfrica’s investigation has found that the management of the Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) in Gibi District, Margibi County, is embroiled in violation of Liberia’s Decent Work Art, 2015, to the detriment of employees.
By Yawah Y. Jaivey, Contributing Writer
The FPA’s probe has unearthed that since 2021 the Salala Rubber Corporation resumed operations with more than 200 employees within it employed the company has reportedly blocked workers from going to election to elect their respective union workplace representatives.
SRC’s employees confided in FrontPageAfrica that the management in contravention of Article 37 of the Decent Work Art of 2015 selected Mr. Oldman Kollie—former President of the Salala Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (SAWUL)—to act as a liaison between the employees and the company’s management.
Article 37.4 of the Decent Work Art, 2015, states: “In any workplace, employees who are members of a registered trade union are entitled to elect from among themselves one workplace union representative, if there are more than five members; two representatives, if there are more than 25 members; three representatives, if there are more than 50 members; or if there are more than 100 members and four representatives for the first 100 members”.
The disenfranchised SRC’s employees stated that Article 37.4 of the Decent Work Art, 2015, gives them such a right, stressing the importance of conducting elections for workplace union representatives for workers to have a channel through which their grievances can be expressed, but unfortunately, that right has been “blatantly violated”.
“We are aware that the Decent Work Art gives Liberian workers the right to make representation to their employer through elected union representatives concerning any matter relating to the terms and conditions of their employees’ employment.” The SRC’s employees noted.
They are alleging that despite the Decent Work Art providing the basic conditions of employment with the view of improving the status of workers in Liberia, the SRC resorted to violating the law to their detriment, especially by denying them the right to enter into bargaining with management to address issues surrounding their welfares.
The workers also stated that the company is denying them to hold elections for union workplace representatives as a tactic to avoid addressing key labor issues comforting employees and continued to repeatedly violate their right to freedom of association and representation.
They are, however, calling on labor authorities in the country including the Ministry of Labor and agricultural trade union organizations to ensure that elections are conducted and the SRC management is fined to serve as a deterrent.
When contacted, the Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) Human Resource Assistant, Wallace Pennoh, for comment referenced FrontPage Africa to Mr. Jallah Mensah, the Relationship and Administrative Consultant at SRC. All efforts to get Mr. Mensah proved futile as his phone has been switched off for more than a month now. FPA, however, gathered that Mr. Mensah is on official leave and reportedly out of the country.
