By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The Consortium of Public Sector Workers Organizations have given the Liberian government up to the end of March 2021 to restitute all unexplained or illegal deductions from the salaries of all civil servants or risk unspecified actions .
The consortium, comprising of the Civil Servants Association of Liberia, the National Health Workers Union of Liberia , the National Teachers Association of Liberia and Monrovia Consolidated School System, gave the ultimatum in a 16- count resolution adopted at the end a meeting from a cross session of government employees in Monrovia earlier this week.
Addressing a press conference on behalf of the consortium, the President of the Civil Servants Association of Liberia, Mulbah Johnson , said among other things, that the arbitrary retirement of civil servants and other employees have subjected them to psychological problems .
The consortium said the Liberian government should certificate all trade unions organizations of public sector workers and recognize them as the true representatives of public sector workers in the employed of the government
According to Mr. Johnson, the consortium also wants the government to immediately transfer funds collected from public schools from Parent Teachers Associations to the respective schools for maintenance and operations.
The consortium also demanded that the government pay all those public servant workers retired following the introduction of the biometric identification cards without delay
Mr. Johnson explained to the government that the age for the retirement of Public Sector Workers employees is 65 years as recorded on the biometric identification card and the civil service standing order.
He added that the February and August 2020 retirements of Public Sector employees did not follow the normal retirement policy of the Civil Service Agency standing order and international best practice.
According to him, information gathered from the National Social Security Corporation indicates that the Civil Service Agency and other line ministries , agencies and commissions are yet to present their lists of retirees and documents , personnel records to NASSCORP for proper documentation and processing ; thereby, subjecting the retirees to untold struggle and sufferings which have resulted into untimely death of some of them .
Mr. Johnson argued that the public sector workers are cognizant of the prevailing United States Dollars rate to the Liberian Dollars which is 198 Liberian Dollars to one United States Dollars in accordance with the national budget.
Therefore, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning should not be fluctuating to rate to the disadvantage of the public sector workers and called on the government to halt unwarranted salary deductions.