-As Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf calms the storm
GANTA, Nimba County- The Internal Affairs Ministry has announced that an intervention by Minister Varney A. Sirleaf has led to a peaceful end of protest by redundant workers of ArcelorMittal-Liberia, with negotiations underway to address their grievances.
According to the Ministry’s Spokesam Emmanuel Wheinyue, the protesting redundant workers on Thursday agreed to cut off their actions against the company.
In a press release, Mr. Wheinyue said the decision was reached following the intervention of Minister Sirleaf on Thursday in Ganta, Nimba County.
The meeting called by the Liberian Internal Affairs Minister was attended by the leadership of the protesters, the management of ArcelorMittal, Nimba County Superintendent Honorable Dorr Cooper and others.
Early Thursday, November 14th, protesters in Grand Bassa and Nimba Counties setup roadblocks on the train track which is used by the company to transport iron ore from the mountains in Nimba to the port of Buchanan in demand of their benefits or reinstatement into workforce.
Mr. Kingston Nyandibo, head of the redundant Arcelormittal employees in a meeting said they and some of their family members embarked on the protest because all efforts aimed addressing their plight have proven fruitless.
Mr. Nyandibo told the Minister that those affected include seven hundred sixty-nine (769) workers, categorized in three groups namely: 363 employees, 366 contractors and 40 others who are considered illegally dismissed.
According to the protesters’ leadership, their redundancy was effected in 2015 and 2016 due to drops in pieces of iron ore on the international market, with an understanding that the company would recall them if prices rise.
“Instead, when prices improve beginning 2017, the company chose to hire a new batch of workers which was in total disregard to the redundancy clause”. Said Mr. Joseph G. Kaye, spokesperson of the protesters.
Mr. Kaye said they have been pursuing the matter with the company since May, 2018.
Meanwhile, Mr. Marcus S. Wleh, Head of Government Relations of Arcelormittal appealed to the protesters to grant a two-week period for the company to sort out the relevant documentations that will lead to finding permanent solution to the problem.
Minister Sirleaf assured that he will work with the relevant government entities including Ministry of Labor and National Bureau of Concessions.
Based on the Minister’s intervention, Mr. Nyandibo promised to immediately communicate with his colleagues as well as travel along the train track informing his colleagues to remain calm and abort all protests. The release concluded.