Employees at the Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism ( MICAT) Thursday, November 10, 2022, protested against the government of President George Weah in demand of salary increment for employees at the Ministry. The group of MICAT workers told Reports231 that they are earning low salaries and wages in the ton of USD$40, USD$50, USD$60, and sometimes 70 United States Dollars. They have accused authorities at the Ministry of Information of parling the payroll with ghost names while at the same time refusing to pay minimum wages and salary on time.
The angry MICAT employees called for a complete payroll audit, including a physical head count for each unit or department, in order to check for fraud, double-dipping, and unfair labor practices against MICAT employees by the Liberian government. The group of MICAT employees simultaneously called for a salary restructure to reflect the current state of affairs in accordance with the CDC government harmonization and decent labor Act of 2015. They argued that proper verification of personnel listing or attendance records should be taken into consideration to avoid unnecessary burdens on workers at the Institution.
According to Jamel Kullie’s petition declaration on behalf of the irate MICAT workers, issues faced by workers include inadequate management, a shortage of transportation for workers, unsanitary working conditions, and bad labor practices. According to Kullie, there has been more avenue created for employment at the Ministry, which has the potential to reduce the already low level of economic output.
The Executive Director of the Liberia Micro-Finance Policy Analysis Center, gave the protesters the assurance that the Liberian government would formally engage them on Monday, November 14, 2022, to address their requests.
Reported by: Joseph N. Kerkula
Email: jnkerkula@gmail.com
Contact: +231777376826
