By Fasalie Sulaiman Kamara and Jenneh Braima
The President of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress has told Politico that the proposed election of an executive for the Dock Workers' Union "is getting direct government interference".
Speaking in an interview at his Wallace Johnson Street office, Mohamed Deen said the Labour Congress would not recognise the interim body set up with the help of State House because "trade union organisations are not political”. He said "as the parent body, we condemn this act in the strongest term".
Deen said the Labour Congress had written to the Minister of Labour rejecting the committee. “We consider this an attempt to contravene not only our national Laws on Freedom of Association but also International Labour Organisation convention 87 of 1948.
The Labour Congress president said in their letter to the minister that a range of issues were highlighted, among them that Kekura Kargbo - one of the new executive members of the interim body approved by State House - was ineligible for such a position because he was not a paid-up member, adding that all candidates must be delegates and that the police and the Labour Ministry should supervise the election.
Meanwhile a breakaway group of dock workers calling itself Rank and File members has also written a letter to the Assistant Inspector General of police, in the area, declaring Kekura Kargbo, Abdul Rahman Dento and Alpha Sulaiman Bundu as their new executive members.
According to the letter which was circulated to several government ministries, the decision was “unanimously agreed by all dock workers.” The breakaway group threatened to embark on a strike if their decision was reversed.
In a telephone interview Kekura Kargbo said “I accept the position because the decision was taken by every member of the dock workers' union”.
Kargbo denied that State House was meddling in their affairs. "State House came in to settle the impasse which our predecessors had ignored..they don’t want peace” he said.
A member of the outgoing executive Abdul Kanassieu said “the decision of the aggrieved party is illegal" and that the Labour Congress was interpreting his organisation's constitution which he said provided for the election of the executive by an electoral college of delegates.
(C) Politico 12/12/13
