Monrovia — On Monday, April 3, 2023, employees of the Transport Ministry barricaded the Ministry of Transport, obstructing normal work activities, demanding a salary increment and salary disparity among agencies of government in the country. According to some employees, some of them are making as low as US$67.00, US$75.00, with the highest being US$150.00 for a transport inspector. According to some of the employees, the low salary is only affecting low-level employees.
"We are citizens. We are not slaves. We are conducting a protest, not a fight. We are not acting disorderly; it's our right to advocate for our salary," said one of the protesting employees.
Prince Kollie, another employee of the Ministry, who said he's a coordinator, earns US$140.00. According to him, because of the low salary, he hasn't been able to complete his study at graduate school. "I am a student at the graduate school but haven't been able to graduate because of the low salary. I have a family to provide for. This is unfair. If you compare what we are getting to our colleagues, we are very low," he said.
Another employee said, "We need to send our children to school and establish our family too. It's not a favor, it's our right. We are working for it daily. We are tired with the 'Did well award.' The Ministry of Transport is one of the major sector ministries in terms of revenue generation."
Government salary harmonization
When the George Weah-led government embarked on the controversial salary harmonization, they somehow, in the midst of disenchantment, succeeded in convincing the public that the intended outcome was to ensure equity in the payroll by ensuring that government employees are paid by their employment grade. However, the General Auditing Commission (GAC) has discovered that this goal has not been achieved, and the government still maintains an unfair salary structure.
President George Weah has admitted that his administration is 'paying some public sector workers wages' that are far below the country's minimum wage standard. Weah's admission comes as a surprise, given that he had not addressed such an issue until now when he is running for re-election. The number of people affected, according to the president, amounts to some 15,000 government employees whose monthly salary remains below the country's minimum wage of US$150.
Weah, however, sought to reframe the narrative, claiming that he had not been aware of the issue throughout his nearly six years in office, while announcing a solution. "As domestic revenue improves, we remain committed to enhancing the welfare of government workers. I have been informed that some 15,000 government workers still make below the minimum wage of US$150 dollars, as mandated by the Decent Work Act," the Liberian leader said while addressing the nation on January 30.
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The president noted that despite the issue, his administration had rectified the nation's flawed and unjust wage structure, which compensated public employees without any clear norms or pay grades for years, saying that the fix saw 15,000 civil servants receiving higher salaries, while some 7,000 paid were adjusted downward.
According to section 16.1 of the Decent Work Act, every Liberian working in both private and public institutions is entitled to a minimum wage of US$0.68 per hour or US$5.50 per day.
Signed into law by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2011, the Decent Work Act is the country's first labor law since the 1950s, which explicitly promotes workers' rights.
The president noted that despite the issue, his administration had rectified the nation's flawed and unjust wage structure, which had compensated public employees without any clear norms or pay grades for years. He said that the fix resulted in 15,000 civil servants receiving higher salaries, while some 7,000 employees saw their pay adjusted downward.
According to Section 16.1 of the Decent Work Act, every Liberian working in both private and public institutions is entitled to a minimum wage of US$0.68 per hour or US$5.50 per day.
The Decent Work Act was signed into law by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2011. It is the country's first labor law since the 1950s that explicitly promotes workers' rights.
