Monrovia – The Consortium of Public Sector Workers which recently threatened a go-slow action across the Country if the George Manneh Weah-led government fails to pay them salary arrears owed for several months, say they are relaxing their planned action based on an agreement reached with government.
As a result of the agreement, the government has committed to work along with the consortium to implement proactive adjustments to civil servants salary while maintaining the government’s US$ 297 million wage bill to ensure stability in the pay of civil servants salary before the end of November.
Last week, six public sector groupings including; National Teachers Association of Liberia, National Health Workers Union of Liberia, Monrovia Consolidated Schools System Teachers’ Association, Supplementary Teachers’ Association of Liberia, Civil Servants Union of Liberia and the Liberia Labor Congress give the George Manneh Weah-led government two-weeks ultimatum to address a laundry list of recommendations, which if not adhered to would have led to a go-slow action across the country.
GoL Commits to Finding Solution
On Wednesday October 30, 2019 at another Press Conference, the group said, they have reached a memorandum of understanding with the Government to find a peaceful solution in addressing the plight of Public Sector Workers to preserve the peace and sustain democracy in Liberia.
In the agreement reached between the government and the consortium, read by Mr. Moibah K. Johnson, President of the Civil Service union, the government acknowledged the resolution and embraced the steps taken by the Consortium to dialogue and find amicable solution to the plight of Public sector workers.
In consideration of the government ‘s commitment to finding solution, several meetings were held between the parties as a way of addressing concerns raise by the consortium, which has culminated into this memorandum of understanding.
As a result of the agreement, the government has committed to work along with the consortium to implement proactive adjustments to civil servants salary while maintaining the government’s US$ 297 million wage bill to ensure stability in the pay of civil servants salary before the end of November.
Govt. Agrees to Regularize Stats
In the resolution the government also commits to regularizing monthly payment of all civil servants and public sector workers and issue monthly pay slips by December 2019 consistent with the stable determined by end of November 2019.
Reading further, Mr. Johnson averred that the government has committed to regularizing the employment stats of all public-school teachers on the supplementary payroll who received salary increment under the harmonization program on or before end of December 2019.
Said Johnson: “The consortium of Public sector workers Organizations commits to constituting a technical team to work with the ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Civil Service Agency to ensure Payment and regularization of all insurance premiums, dues, and staff contributions before end of December 2019.”
The resolution also calls for the government to commit to remain engage during these periods for better communication and problem solving.
Both parties have also agreed that the internal Agency Wage Harmonization Team will improve data and information sharing amongst technicians of the CSA and MFDP to ensure better communication and information dissemination to the consortium of Public Sector workers organizations and civil across Liberia. “That this MOU also reinforces earlier MOU entered into on September 23, 2019 between the National Health Workers Union of Liberia (NAHWUL) and the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Health (MOH).”
The decision to avert the go-slow comes just a day after the International Monetary Fund and the government signed a staff-level agreement, subject to fulfillment of significant prior actions in the fiscal and monetary areas that will need to be undertaken by Liberian authorities.
The objectives of the program, according to the monetary body, are to restore macroeconomic stability, provide a foundation for fiscally sustainable, inclusive growth, and address weaknesses in governance.