Aggrieved employees of the Ministry of Transport over the weekend locked the gates and entrances of the ministry in demand for increment in salaries and benefits.
The aggrieved employees said they have spent over five (5) years with the ministry but they are being paid below the statutory amount prescribed by the Decent Work Act of 2015.
Section 16.1 of the Decent Work Act provides that Liberians working in both private and public institutions are entitled to a minimum wage of US$0.68 per hour or US$5.50 per day or a minimum of US$150.00 per month.
Contrarily, the protesting employees disclosed that they are earning below US$100.00, which is a violation of the Decent Work Act. They said that their monthly earnings cannot commensurate with their needs, while their children are dropping out of school due to huge tuition fees.
The employees, comprising of inspectors, climate scientists and maintenance officers, said the ministry is in the constant habit of paying them far less than US$150 monthly, which they said is not a good thing.
Meanwhile, the aggrieved employees have threatened to assemble on Monday, April 3, in their black outfits to demand the intervention of the government.
For the past 5 years the MOT has been recognized as the highest revenue-generating ministry, evident by the numerous accolades received from the government through LRA, but remains the lowest paying government functionary.
Speaking to the Hot Pepper on Sunday in regard to the continuation of the protest, the Deputy Minister of Transport for Lands and Rails, J. Darious Kollie, said authorities of the Ministry of Transport, Finance and Development Planning and Civil Service Agency (CSA) have had preliminary discussion on the matter, and may come to a conclusion by Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
Deputy Minister Kollie said he could not speak to the fundamentals of the imbroglio, as all sides have their own sides of the story, and that he chose not to do so in order not to fuel an already looming tension.
At the protest scene, the Minister of Transport, Samuel Wlue, was overheard vowing to use all legal and administrative means to resist any planned protest by the employees on Monday, and that if any employee locks the main gate in front of him he will call the police to open it.
But Deputy Minister Kollie clarified that these comments may have been made before the discussion was held among the authorities, and assured that the matter has been calmed and the solution is being worked out.
He however told the Hot Pepper that they will be at the ministry on Monday, and await to see the trend that the matter will take.