PHOTO: Protesting Health workers at the C.H. Rennie Hospital
Amid the resurgence of COVID-19 in Liberia, Health Workers at the C. H. Rennie Hospital government referral hospital in Kakata, Margibi County have stage a protest, demanding 30 months arrears in pay and hazard benefits owed them.
Workers of the Hospital on Monday, July 19, 2021, staged a protest, as the services came to a halt.
Patients, including pregnant women, could not get treatment and Nurses, authorities of the government run health facility as well as County officials could not have access to the hospital compund.
Speaking to Journalists during the protest, the spokesperson for the protesters, Steve Mayanko Jallah said they have been working at the Hospital since 2015 without being employed.
Mr. Jallah said that many of the health workers have been issued a letter of assignments from the human resource department that they have been acting on since 2015.
According to him, since their assignment at the hospital, they have been paid as contractors without knowing the exact salaries they should be making.
They have on several occasions written all members of the Margibi County Legislative Caucus, including county authorities to address the issue but to no avail their quest.
After nearly 7 hours of protest, Margibi County Superintendent, Jerry Varnie who is also chair to the hospital’s board, called on the aggrieved workers to keep calm, assuring them the payment of at least three months out of the thirty months arrears.
Supt. Varnie promised to have said amount disbursed before July 26, 2021, adding that the rest of their demands including their remaining arrears will be discussed on July 29 this year. Report by Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com