Kakata — Scores of workers, predominantly tappers, of the Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) Thursday staged a violent protest over the reported failure of management to mark them (employers and contractors) for five days they were absent from work during their last week's protest action on the plantation.
The enraged protesters early Thursday morning ransacked the Salala Rubber Corporation's (SRC) administrative headquarters and set ablaze the administration building that houses the offices of the company's general manager and other top administrative staff.
The flame was, however, contained in the NASSCORP office alone.
Then the protesters pelted stones on the window glasses of other buildings and looted bags of rice before moving on to the senior staff housing quarter and set the Plantation Manager Sangeeth Sathyan's home and assigned vehicle on fire, which were destroyed.
According to reports, the SRC's general manager and other top administrative staff were trapped in their homes for a while before being whisked away by the company's security for fear of their lives.
A heavy contingent of Liberia National Police later rushed to the spot to prevent the situation from deteriorating further when the protesters had already escaped the scene.
What Prompted Thursday's Violent Protest?
Last week, more than 500 tappers including employees and contractors at the Salala Rubber Corporation staged an indefinite protest against the alleged exploitation of workers and bad labor practices being perpetrated by the management.
The striking workers alleged that the bad labor practices against them (workers) had persisted for more than three years without any redress from the management despite persistent calls for improvement of workers' conditions on the plantation.
The aggrieved SRC workers demanded in their 13 counts document presented to the Salala Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (SAWUL) leadership for the immediate renovation of the housing facilities. They claimed that most of the housing facilities at the plantation are in deplorable conditions.
Among other demands, the workers requested the management to provide the requisite tapping tools, alleging that when their working tools (tapping knives) are dulled or damaged it takes more time before they are replaced by the management despite tapping knives should be used for at least three months.
The protesting workers requested the management to provide proper medical treatment for workers and honor medical bills for extra expenses incurred during their illness while on the job.
The management, according to the aggrieved workers, should subsidize the cost of a 50kg bag of rice to US$12.00 to workers and further, make the available additional 50kg bag of rice at a low cost.
Additionally, the SRC workers requested the management to make vehicles available for workers to convey to and fro from work and their dependents for those residing outside the premises of the plantation.
They also alleged that tappers' bonuses are not being differentiated from daily wages and the management should reduce the target production from 1700kgs to 300kgs and minus the target production before applying the water loss coefficient to the remaining for bonus calculation, among other counts.
The workers' go-slow action then triggered the Salala Rubber Corporation management to cite the leadership of the workers through their union (Salala Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (SAWUL) to a meeting on Friday, June 21, 2024, to negotiate for the workers to return to work.
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During the meeting, the SRC management and union discussed and agreed that the company would immediately start to address six of the thirteen counts and the other grievances to be negotiated during the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) formulation process.
A negotiation was then reached between the SRC management and the workers union's leadership so that the protesting workers could return to work.
The workers, however, agreed to resume work with the condition that management could pay them for the five days they lost during last week's protest, blaming the situation squarely on the management.
Sources alleged that the worker's demand was vehemently resisted by the company's Plantation Manager Sangeeth Sathyan despite advice from other senior staff for the company to take the obligation to mark the workers for the five days.
