By Politico Staff Writer
Sierra Leoneans working at Sierra Tropical Limited have complained of poor conditions of service and maltreatment by their foreign employers. The situation degenerated into a standoff, which saw the intervention of Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray.
The workers in a meeting with government representatives claimed disrespect by the expatriate staff, being denied the right to express their views, having to do additional work, and withholding of their NASSIT payment.
A worker Ibrahim Kamanda explained that there are positions in the company that can be occupied by Sierra Leoneans but the owners prefer to bring in experts to fill in those positions. He added that an expatriate is given weekly allowances which according to Kamanda could be up to fifteen times the minimum wage of the Sierra Leoneans.
The Worker was quick to note that they are not against expatriates getting jobs but stressed that Sierra Leoneans are also fit for some of the positions.
“All of us are here to work in the interest of this company. Another reason we are working is for our families to be happy. Each time we meet with our HR, he will talk in the favour of the company that the company has not settled yet”, he stated.
Another worker Samuka Momoh Koroma said some of them started working at the company since its inception.
“We made the products go out, we sell STL to the world, we want STL to grow and be the envy of the world. But we are not treated seriously by our employers", he claimed.
The aggrieved workers pleaded that the Minister address their plight, stating that they are Sierra Leoneans and should be accorded maximum respect.
Minister Swaray in his reaction said: "The government is concerned about what happened here the other day. There are procedures for one to protest. The government will not allow Sierra Leoneans to suffer unduly in these institutions, we will look into this matter seriously” he said.
He said that he would ensure a team from his ministry visits the company and engage the staff and management on labour issues.
Swaray urged the management and staff to work together, stating that the government wants the investment to stay but also that staff welfare as a matter of importance is addressed.
He explained that he decided to meet the chiefdom authorities, aggrieved workers, and the management of Sierra Tropical Limited separately to create an atmosphere where everyone could speak freely without fear.
The Minister stressed that the rights of the staff should be protected, and mentioned President Julius Maada Bio’s promised 500,000 job initiative which they intend to actualize.
The Managing Director of Sierra Tropical Limited Kwake Wiafe said the protest came to them as a surprise.
"What happened was scary, we have foreign workers here too. Management was not informed about their grievances; we want assurances from the government about the safety of our workers", he explained.
Wiafe assured the minister that they would look into the allegations and added that management would address the situation.
He said the country has a new Labor law, assuring that management will use the document to review workers’ contracts in order to meet best practices.
"I will put a team together that will be meeting with our staff every month. Through that, we will know their concerns" Waife said.
He assured that his management team will work with staff to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The Paramount Chief of Lugbu Chiefdom in Bo District Ensa Badara Nallo said his chiefdom is a peaceful place and that what occurred was unfortunate, noting how the roadblocks and other acts made the Chiefdom unstable.
PC Nallo said chiefdom authorities were happy to see the minister with other Government officials expressing interest and helping to resolve the matter.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (23/10/23)
