Monrovia, Liberia – In order to promote the interests of workers in Liberia, the Liberian government has requested assistance from the International Labor Organization in ensuring that the Liberia Labor Congress has new elections for a legitimate leadership. The Liberian government, according to Labor Minister Charles Gibson, sees a strong labor congress that fights for workers as the most reliable path to creating and maintaining a thriving middle class in the nation.
During his speech at the ILO’s 111th annual conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Minister Gibson made the call. The Supreme Court of Liberia upheld a circuit court decision that declared previous new elections invalid in December of last year. The long-running internal disputes that fractionalized the LLC and ultimately rendered it essentially useless are said to be the root cause of the lawsuit.
The President of the Civil Servants Association of Liberia, led by Moiba Johnson, won the most recent LLC elections. However, the government has always opposed the public sector workers joining the LLC; this is viewed as unacceptable by the rest of the nation’s labor unions.
The government continues to undertake a number of effective initiatives on behalf of employees, as Labor Minister Gibson indicated. He referred to decisions made by the Labor Ministry in the Arcelor Mittal Liberia, Firestone Rubber Plantation Company, Golden Veroleum, Liberia Electricity Corporation, and Bea Mountain cases that resulted in pay raises, better working conditions, bonuses, and other benefits for workers across the country.
Reported by: Augustine Octavius
Contact: +231777463963
Email: augustineoctavius@gmail.com
