Over Low Salaries And Other Grievances
Aggrieved health workers in Liberia’s southeastern region are on the verge of staging a strike action against low salaries, salaries disparity, among other things.
A press release from the health workers in Maryland, Sinoe, River Gee, Grand Gedeh and Grand Kru Counties say they plan to begin their stay home action beginning July 20, 2023.
See their press release below:
July 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM: SOUTHEASTHERN HEALTH WORKERS NETWORK OF LIBERIA
TO: MINISTER WILLIMENA JALLAH, MOH, MINISTER SAMUEL D. TWEH, MFDP, AND MR. JAMES THOMPSON, CSA DIRECTOR
SUBJECT: Effective Stay home action!!!!
The Southeastern health workers Network of Liberia through its Secretsry John Neufville is pleased to call on all health workers across the five Southeastern counties including Maryland, Sinoe, River Gee, Grand Gedeh and Grand Kru to stay home as of July 20, 2023 beginning 12Am due to the failure of the government to address the following but not limited to:
1.Salaries disparities,
- Inclusion of volunteer health workers, Constant deduction of salaries,
- Low salaries, 4. Motivational package for hard to reach counties (Southeast), 5. Replacement of pensioned health workers.
- That SAAR Insurance company should no longer be accepted for the general health workers population in the Southeast due to its insignificant to about 90 percent of health workers in the Southeast.
- Most importantly failure of the government to replace ghosts names identified during the independent verification conducted by the leadership of the Southeastern health workers Network among others.
It can be recall that during the June 2022 go slow action, the leadership of the Southeastern Health workers was asked by the government through the above ministries and Agency to cut off the action in which they committed to address these concerns. Though, when the go slow action began, about eight hundred health workers’ names were released and partially benefited from little increment leaving majority out.
As we speak, the leadership has been heavily criticized by colleagues for the government partial decision to have added little percentage on few health workers’ salaries and also expressing that the little increment was not done with expectation. Following our last year action, the leadership of the Southeastern health workers Network was asked to conduct independent verification for all health workers and over 50 health workers were identified as ghosts. These ghosts are yet to be replaced.
we therefore expect every health worker across the length and breath of the southeast to observe the Stay home for better Opportunity. God bless us all and long live Liberia.
Signed: Leadership of the Southeastern health workers Network of Liberia.