Monrovia — More than 300 contractors of the Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC) in Grand Bassa County are set to receive back pay after a Ministry of Labor investigation confirmed unlawful salary deductions and systematic underpayment, exposing years of payroll mismanagement.
Minister of Labor, Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, announced on March 1, 2026, that earlier this year he led a delegation to LAC to assess employees' living and working conditions. During the visit, several contractors reported being paid below Liberia's statutory minimum wage.
After receiving these complaints, Minister Kruah engaged LAC management. The company distanced itself from the allegations, stating that the affected workers were hired by independent contracting firms rather than directly by LAC.
The Minister subsequently summoned the heads of the two hiring firms--Mr. George B. Vonsuah and Mr. Arthur Peters--and launched an immediate investigation into the workers' grievances.
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Payroll records and supporting documents revealed that both firms failed to comply with the statutory minimum wage requirement outlined in Chapter 5, Section 16.1(a) of the Decent Work Act of Liberia.
Under the Decent Work Act, workers in concession areas classified under the formal sector are entitled to a minimum wage of US$5.50 per day, a standard that also applies to subcontractors and hiring firms.
On March 1, 2026, the Ministry of Labor published a statement signed by Joseph K. Nyandibo, Director of Communications & Public Affairs, detailing the investigation's findings. Mr. Arthur Peters, who has been recruiting Liberian contractors since 2019 and currently employs 213 workers, paid his employees US$3.80 per day instead of the legally mandated US$5.50. Likewise, Mr. George B. Vonsuah, who has operated since 2022 with 326 workers, also paid US$3.80 per day.
Consequently, Mr. Vonsuah must pay US$9,705.92 in retroactive wages to 326 affected workers, while Mr. Peters is required to pay US$9,414.60 in back wages to 213 workers for the period from 2019 to 2025. Both firms have been ordered to fully compensate their workers for the wage differentials accumulated over the years.
Minister Kruah emphasized that the Ministry's actions are intended to serve as a deterrent to all employers and hiring firms that underpay workers, particularly contractors. He stressed that all hiring entities must strictly comply with the minimum wage provisions stipulated in the Decent Work Act.
He attributed these unfair labor practices to the growing trend of major concession companies subcontracting aspects of their operations to third-party hiring firms.
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"In recent times, some major employers and concessionaires have opted to engage subcontractors to recruit workers on their behalf. Unfortunately, some of these hiring firms operate outside the provisions of the Decent Work Act," he noted.
He further warned that such arrangements often shift responsibility for employee benefits and decent working conditions from the principal companies to subcontractors, some of whom knowingly or unknowingly fail to uphold legal labor standards.
Meanwhile, Minister Kruah has instructed the Labour Commissioner of Grand Bassa County, Mr. Jackson Quabion, to ensure full implementation of the Ministry's findings and recommendations. http://
