Photo: Some domestic workers receiving relief assistance
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The Domestic Workers Union of Liberia has expressed concern on the numerous of complain of violations of the labor laws by some employers, in the wake of the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country.
The Union’s President, Marthaline Cole disclosed that her office has received thousands of complains from domestic workers that they were sent home by their employers without any benefit.
Madam Cole spoke when the Union distributed hundreds of bags of rice and vegetable oil to hundreds of domestic workers on the celebration of the International Domestic Workers Day in Township of Gardnerville, outside Monrovia.
Madam Cole appealed to domestic workers in various parts of the country to begin organizing themselves and report to the Liberia Labor Congress about the problems they are experiencing
She thanked the International Domestic Workers Federation for the donation of bags of rice and vegetable oil to domestic workers in Liberia.
Madam Cole also appealed to the Ministry of Labor to ensure that domestic workers are covered under the domestic work Act.
Madam Mathaline Cole
“We are being severely abused and our rights as domestic workers have been violated because thousands of us were sent home without salary, some were told never to return and other hope of getting their jobs are very slim due to financial shock that hit many employers,” Madam told domestic workers.
Madam Cole thanked the International Domestic Workers Federation for remembering domestic workers in Liberia during the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country
For his part, the Secretary General of the Liberia Labor Congress, David Sackor expressed disappointment on the failure to implement the agreement reach among the Labor Ministry, the Liberia Labor Congress and the Liberia Chambers of Commence on the faith of workers in the informal sector.
According to Mr. Sackor, the gentleman agreement called for employers in the informal sector to provide 50 percent payment for each month the informal workers will stay home for.
He pointed out that the failure on the part of the government to enforce this agreement has created several hardship on ordinary people most of whom are in the employed in the informal sector.
“We will continue to negotiate with the government through the Ministry of Labor, the employers through the Liberia Chambers of Commerce in order to seek the welfare of domestic workers,” Mr. Sackor said,; adding, “ because our strengthen depends on unity and we must remain united in our undertakings.”
In the food basket were one bag of rice and one gallon of vegetable oil, which were distributed to domestic worker at the end of the program.