The Minimum Wage Board of Liberia has held its first board sitting, with all members in attendance.
The board, which was constituted on July 1, 2022 by the President of Liberia in keeping with Chapter 5, Section 5.1 of the Decent Work Act of 2015, comprises of five members: Labor Minister, Cllr. Charles H. Gibson, Chairman; Charles E. Collins, Liberia Chamber of Commerce (LCC); Theresa T. Viskindaa, Veteran Trade Unionist (LLC); Prof. Geegbae A. Geegbae, Economist; and Cllr. C. Alexander B. Zoe, Senior Legal Practitioner.
Welcoming members of the board and the Secretariat during the opening of the first board meeting, the Chairman, Labor Minister Cllr. Charles H. Gibson, observed that the Minimum Wage Board has been dormant for over a decade and that has seriously affected workers’ rights to gainful employment over the years. He lauded President George M. Weah for seeing the need and the urgency of reconstituting the Minimum Wage Board to ensure that workers in the country are not just working but are gainfully employed.
He informed members of the Board that the Liberian people are looking up to them because decisions that are to be made will affect both public and private sector workers of the country.
According to Minister Gibson, the board will work to ensure that the take-home pay of workers is sufficient to maintain the basic needs of their family.
The Minimum Wage Board Chairman further maintained that everyone who is not self-employed as a means of earning will be affected by the decisions made by this board and, as such, it is very laudable that the board has a tenure of five years for members. He said the record they set will serve as a basis for continuity.
Chairman Gibson underscored the need for the board to speak with one voice and to uphold confidentiality in its workings.
He used the occasion to welcome the Economic Adviser to the President, Charles Bright, to the first Board Meeting of the Minimum Wage Board and said the board will, from time to time, be borrowing from the expertise of the Economic Adviser and other acknowledgeable Liberians for the successful implementation of its mandate.
In brief remarks, Advisor Bright said there is great need for the board to recommence its work as quickly as possible because Liberians are aware that the plight of workers is serious.
He added that the wages of workers have remained static for many years, which has made it difficult for them to meet the needs of family members, their spouses, children, extended family members, and underwrite transportation, school fees, the cost of goods in the market and supermarkets.
He noted that all those factors put a strain on the scarce resources that workers earn at the end of a month.
“Unless we are successful here the President will not be successful there. So, we must do all we can to build up the image of the country by helping the President to succeed,” Advisor Bright noted.
He pledged his commitment to contribute significantly to the working of the board.
For his part, Prof. Geegbae A. Geegbae, who is former Chairman of the Economic Department of the University of Liberia and former Consultant to the Minimum Wage Board between 2009—2011, emphasized the need for research and empowerment of the Minimum Wage Board Secretariat of the Ministry of Labor.
The board is charged with the responsibility of reviewing and recommending minimum wages that will promote the attainment of the Decent Work Act; reviewing the cost of living and the living standards, generally prevailing in the country; recommending minimum wages that apply to all employees whose employment is covered by this Act; recommending minimum wages for different economic sectors and occupation; submit annual report to the Minister/Chairman, who shall cause it to be published in the annual report of the ministry; and stating economic development and growth, including business productivity.