SENJI TOWN, GRAND CAPE MOUNT: Road construction work on the Madina-Robertsport Highway in Grand Cape Mount County has come to a standstill due to protest by workers over salary arrears.
Workers of the construction firm SSF contracted to pave the highway on Monday, February 20, 2023 staged a protest in demand of salary arrears.
The protesters set up roadblocks along the highway, preventing vehicles from entering the provincial capital City of Robertsport.
Speaking to newsmen at the protest site, Mohammed Kamara, a contractor of SSF, said since they signed the contract with the company, it has failed to abide by the terms and conditions of the agreement.
Kamara revealed that in the contract, the company agreed to provide each worker US$10 for feeding, but said since they began the construction work the money has not been forthcoming.
He disclosed that in addition to their feeding allowance, the company has refused to pay their monthly salary, alleging that some of the contractors have worked for six months and others four months without pay something, he said, prompted the strike action.
The protestors disclosed that some of them signed the contract for US$150 monthly, while others signed for US$250 per month.
The protesters were later dispersed by officers of the Liberia National Police after several hours of protestation along the road.
However, they returned on Tuesday, stating that they will continue the protest action until their demands are met by the construction company, a position the workers have maintained, with no work currently underway.
Meanwhile, the Field Supervisor of the construction group SSF, Joseph Fallah, has promised the protesters that they will receive their salaries this week.
Although Fallah was not specific about the time the workers will receive their salaries, he indicated that the company takes the issue of the workers “very seriously,” pointing out that the protest action has paralyzed the ongoing construction work.
He, at the same time, called on the protesters to remain calm as management of the company is working behind the scenes to ensure that the workers get the deserving rewards for their labor.
Source: LINA
