The Inquirer (Monrovia)
30 October 2008
Information reaching the INQUIRER Newspaper suggests that workers for the Chinese company, Chico are planning a major strike action to get their plight heard by the company's executives and government officials.
A team of journalists upon receiving this sensitive information immediately arrived at the Chico plant on the ELWA Road and came across Liberian workers from the company satisfactorily having lunch.
The workers said that indeed they were planning a strike action for next month if their concerns that have existed since the company started its operations at the beginning of 2007 are not amicably resolved.
The workers said that the reason for the planned strike action is that they are not on a fixed salary at the company; safety equipment was not equally distributed; transportation to and fro from work was not provided and access to the company's medical facilities was difficult.
The aggrieved workers said that they once tried to approach Chico's management on the issue but the five employees who were actively engaged in confronting the management were later laid off for what the company called poor performance.
When asked why they wanted to remain anonymous, they said because they are afraid of confronting the management because they will certainly lose their jobs if they do.
The workers said that the management of Chico has already gotten information of their planned strike action for next month by the labor representative assigned to the company and they are not satisfied, they said, with that action made by him. All attempts to contact the labor representative proved futile.
Chico's management's response to the planned strike action for next month was given by the project Manager for Chico's operations in Liberia, Mr. Hu Bingei who said that all of the concerns of the employees are equally the concerns of the Management.
Categorically the company's project manager responded to the apprehensions of his employees. Starting with the salary issue, Mr. Bingei said that though everybody wants more money, they are paying the least employee US$0.25 an hour which is government's national contracted pay structure.
According to him, transportation allowances are part of the salary that each employee receives. On the issue of safety equipment, the manager said that they have sent for more equipment and they are therefore waiting for the ship to arrive with more safety equipment.
And regarding medical facilities, the manager said that the institution only has one doctor to cater to the over three hundred employees so the process is slow but sure.
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