Monrovia-Three legal institutes in Liberia have received 1,000 copies of the Labour Law of Liberia (Decent Work Act of 2015) from the Liberian government through the Ministry of Labor. The Lewis Arthur Grime Law School at the University of Liberia, the Judiciary Institute at the Temple of Justice, and the Liberia National Bar Association were the three organizations that benefited from the distribution; each received five hundred (500) copies of the pocket side law book.
During his presentation, Labour Minister Charles Gibson stated that the Ministry of Labour aims to safeguard and advance workers’ rights and as such is trying to ensure that all attorneys and law students have access to a copy of the Liberian Labor Law.
“The connection between employees and employers is protected by law and regulations, much like marriages occasionally experience conflict”.
He claims that the Ministry of Labor believes that by providing these institutions and the lawyers who visit them with copies of the Labor Code, the standards for labor practices would be raised. As the weaker vessel when it comes to the resolution of labor disputes, Minister Gibson stated that the presentation will also enable workers across the nation to have more access to the judicial examination of their grievances.
The Labour Minister advised the Dean of Students at Lewis Arthur Grime Law School to make sure that every student at the institution receives a copy of the pamphlet highlighting the value of studying law. Speaking at the Judiciary and the Liberia National Bar Association, Minister Gibson expressed his ministry’s hope that the gift will help strengthen the legal profession and enable lawyers to more effectively represent both employers and employees in the resolution of labor disputes. He emphasized that labor law calls for social dialogue as well as judicial resolution of labor disputes.
“The ministry expects that lawyers would utilize both sides of the law in the pursuit of labor concerns because labor matters are frequently addressed through social dialogue faster and more affordably than judicial proceedings”.
Minister Gibson admitted that many workers’ rights are being abused since they are the weaker party in the employment contract arrangement and expressed hope that the empowered attorneys will urge them more. The Labour Minister made a point of enhancing their ability to speak for both workers and their employers, saying that without employers, there would be no work, and without work, there would be no workers.
The Supreme Court of Liberia’s Court Administrator, Counselor Elizabeth Nelson, praised the Ministry of Labour for the donation in her remarks, noting that the court had previously received several donations from partners and donors, but that the donation from the ministry of government was exceptional. She gave the Labour Minister her word that the judiciary would be in charge of the books and that all lawyers would have access to them.
Counselor Sylvester Rennie, president of the Liberia National Bar Association, also spoke and praised the Liberian government for giving the country’s legal professionals access to more resources. He claims that Liberian attorneys frequently struggle to discover reference materials that will be helpful to them while they are arguing cases on behalf of their clients. According to him, the labor law is crucial to Liberian society because it safeguards both employees’ and employers’ rights. As a result, practicing attorneys need to be familiar with it thoroughly in order to advise clients in cases involving labor law. Counselor Rennie added that only licensed attorneys who have satisfied the requirements will be given or get a copy of the labor law known as the Decent Work Act of 2015.
For his part, Minister Gibson was commended by Counselor Jallah Barbu, Dean of the Lewis Arthur Grime School of Law at the University of Liberia, for recognizing the need for the donation of 500 copies of the labor law book that will help the students learn more about Liberian labor law.
He asserts that the Decent Work Act of 2015 reached them at the appropriate moment and would be used as intended. He added that the book will aid in streamlining the school’s curriculum.
Reported by: Augustine Octavius
Contact: +231777463963
Email: augustineoctavius@gmail.com
