Claim Their Rights Are Being Violated, Demanding Benefits
By Allen P. Lablah,lallenpaye@yahoo.com
SANNIQUELLIE, Liberia- Aggrieved redundant and former workers of the iron ore giant, ArcelorMittal in Liberia’s northeaster Nimba County have vowed to continue putting up barricade on the railway in Sanniquellie, until they are reinstated or get their benefits they say are due them.
They are demanding prompt redress by the Liberian government and the company.
Back in 2014, some 400 workers of this company were laid off due to the drop in the price of iron ore on the world market and in the wake of the deadly Ebola epidemic.
They use a casket and other objects to prevent trains carrying iron ore from the Yekepa mines to the southern port of Buchanan for several hours on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.
As they blocked the train track, they claimed their rights have been denied, vowing not to leave until they get redress.
The ArcelorMittal redundant workers carry casket and logs crossing the train track in demand of their money they claim the company owns them.
The redundant workers claimed that the casket signifies that they are ready to die today in Nimba County.
“This week in Nimba we as aggrieved workers shall be buried or government and Arcelor Mittal Liberia pay us,” they chanted.
The blocking of the train track led to the intervention of the Liberia Police Support Unit to disperse the protest.
“We have been patience but today the government will bury us in Nimba the aggrieved workers told crew of reporters at the train track in Sanniquellie City, Nimba County,” the aggrieved redundant and former ArcelorMittal workers said.
They held a one-hour meeting in Sanniquellie City on Monday August 17, 2020, when they resolved to block the train track since AML, claiming the company has refused to pay them.
During that meeting, they also said the over 400 hundred affected AML workers in and out of Nimba County be contacted to arrive in Sanniquellie City to peacefully march to the Administrative Building, where the County Sitting is expected to be held.
So far, there has been no violence as the security forces and aggrieved workers are standing side by-by side.
However, Armstrong Gobac Selekpoh, Nimba Education Guide Executive Director and also spoke on behalf of the company’s aggrieved workers.
Mr. Selekpoh asserted that he has lose control over the aggrieved workers on grounds that tension from the group is growing day-by-day in the county.
He said that government and its partner, ArcelorMittal Liberia need to promptly intervene in the matter.