FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
Kebba Camara
11 November 2009
Over 100 staffs at a construction company called Copri were on Monday on a sit down strike because of what they called late payment of salaries and a lot of unfair treatment to the employees. When our report visited the place on Monday around noon he met them sitting down complaining bitterly that October salaries are still not paid. The technical committee however told this reporter that unless their salaries for the last months are paid they will not work.
Mr. Saho Secretary General of the Workers Union in Copri he has been working with the company since April 2009. He said he went for leave in September and August but when he resumed the September salaries were paid in mid October and up till now there are no salaries for October. He said this has caused the workers not to work " because normally, the government releases salaries on the 26th day of every month. Therefore, every worker should be paid latest 30th of every month, but staring from on the 1st up till now we have not heard anything from our project manager pertaining to our payment".
He claimed that the project manager has not even been coming for work since last week Thursday. Mr. Saho said if the project manager has got financial constraints, he should inform the staff about it, 'but he never this and the staff are really in a dilemma.' He was also quick to add that the company is been contracted by GAMWORKS.
Another senior staff at Copri Company said they are all suffering because most of them are renting and most of them have even vacated their places because they can't pay their houses anymore plus other bills also have to be paid, he said this is why they called for the sit down strike.
Another staff who spoke to Foroyaa said their main objective is to protect the image of the company but "things are going too far. We are speaking out now because what they are even paying labourers is D40 per day which is very bad, Tobaski is fast approaching and if we have not received our October salary the likelihood is they might not pay us"
Most of the employees also said they want to know how much they are contributing towards the social security because they don't know how much is been deducted from their salaries. They called on the project manager to provide their social security cards. They said they also want to know how much is allocated for them for overtime per hour.
They said the Sukuta Westfield Highway is in the eye of every body, saying it is a sensitive area. They said the slightest thing that happens in that area will be a problem which they don't want.
Most of the staff who spoke to this reporter complained of the late payment of salaries, over time rates, whether their payments are in line with the labour laws and their social security membership cards.
The project manager Mr. LAPENTA also the paymaster of the company when contacted by this reporter declined to comment on the issue.
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