MONROVIA: Labor Minister, Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. at the head of a high-powered delegation, has successfully concluded a three-day assessment tour of industrial labor activities in Western Liberia.
The tour is the first leg of the Minister’s nationwide assessment of labor sector of the country since his ascendancy to the position as the Labor Minister.
A Labor Ministry press release under the signature of the Deputy Director for Communications and Public Affairs, Mr. E. Frederick Baye noted that, Minister Kruah and team’s visit to Western Liberia took them to the concession areas of the Bea Mountain Mining Company and Western Cluster in Grand Cape Mount and Bomi Counties.
The labor release revealed that at the two concession conglomerates, Minister Kruah and team held separate discussions with top management teams, highlighting Government’s fullest commitment to protect industrial environment and the need for the employment of more Liberian staffs and elevation to top managerial positions, in a bid to create economic stimulus for them.
The release affirmed that Minister Kruah expressed serious consternation at Bea Mountain Mining Company over earlier media reports of a Turkish expatriate staff serving as fuel pump attendant; a position which Liberians are overly capable of occupying.
However, the release maintained that the reports were based on a situation at the company, years ago when it first commenced operations, but has since been resolved with a Liberian taking up the position.
The release stressed that the Labor Minister and delegation also held frank exchanges with the Liberian staffs who outlined several issues confronting them, including low salaries compared to their foreign counterparts who are performing similar jobs; something which the Minister ordered Bea Mountain Mining Company Management to immediately address. The Ministry, in the release, did not outline the salaries of local staffs and foreign workers.
In response to these concerns, Bea Mountain Mining Company Operations Manager, Engin Turham , lauded Minister Kruah for the site seeing visit and assured the Labor Ministry Team of his management’s commitment to take remedial actions in addressing the workers concerns, disclosing plans to recruit more Liberian staffs as the company gears up to expand operations shortly in support of government’s Labor and economic stimulus programs.
At Western Cluster, the release quotes Minister Kruah as urging the company management to refrain from subcontracting its operations to local companies and subjecting Liberian employees to low level jobs with no meaningful economic benefits.
The release added that in response to outcries from over 400 employees of Western Cluster currently on subcontract jobs with local companies, with no substantial benefits, Minister Kruah requested for the full employment listing, quarterly labor statistical reports and salary roster for review and immediate corrections of irregularities which contravene standing labor regulations.
In response, the Chief Executive Officer of Western Cluster, Mr. Joseph Coelho, assured Minister Kruah and Delegation of his fullest compliance with all labor regulations, adding:” We will do everything possible to obey all laws related to our operations, including employment of more Liberians and direct employment, as soon we commence full exploration and other related operations”.
Meanwhile, Minister Kruah and team have returned to Monrovia as the minister is expected to address The Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism Regular Press Briefing Tuesday September 24, 2024, followed by the resumption of his Nationwide Labor Inspection Tour, marking the second leg to Margibi, Grand Bassa and Nimba Counties, concluding with the Southeastern Region in the impending dry season.
The ongoing nation-wide tour by the Liberian Labor Minister is geared towards assessment of the country’s labor sector, with shared objective of ensuring the employment of more Liberians and improvement in their economic wellbeing, in line with the ‘ARREST AGENDA’ of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai-led Administration.
