FLASHBACK: Striking Health workers protesting in Kakata on Monday
The attention of the Government of Liberia has been drawn to the Monday, July 19 headline and news story of the local media “30 MONTHS NO PAY”, saying this is not true.
This is what the striking health workers told Journalist in Kakata, Margibi County.
Government’s reaction came on Tuesday, July 20, 2021 in a joint Press Statement of the Civil Service Agency, Ministry of Health & Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
The media narrated that amid COVID-19 health workers in Margibi County shut down the CH Rennie Hospital in protest for over two years of salary arrears.
But the Government of Liberia, through the Civil Service Agency (CSA), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) wants to categorically state and clarify that IT DOES NOT OWE HEALTH WORKERS and monthly salary payments are current for all government employees in every sector.
The Government also wants to inform the public that those protesting workers at the CH Rennie hospital ARE NOT FULL EMPOYEES of the Government BUT MOSTLY NON CLINICAL VOLUNTEER WORKERS who are usually paid from internally generated resources of their health facilities.
These volunteers are usually absorbed and get fully employed through the Government of Liberia direct job replacement policy and strategy once vacancies are created in their facilities and other entities of government, the statement said.
As part of its engagement with Consortium of Public Sector Workers, the Government of Liberia, through the Civil Service Agency, is currently reviewing and restructuring the volunteering policy across the health and education sectors and wants to encourage and reassure THE VOLUNTEERS that permanent employment and subsequent placement on the GoL payroll will be prioritized during the upcoming recruitment from the volunteer pool. The Government of Liberia also wants to reiterate that it is through constructive engagements, not protests, that these policy changes and developments are obtained.
With this press release, the Government of Liberia, through the CSA and the MFDP, also wants to inform the public, including civil servants, that salary disbursements for the month of July 2021 are currently ongoing in preparation for the July 26 Independence Day Celebration, the government’s statement added.