By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Health workers in Liberia are said to be poised to begin a stay home strike action this week over a number of grievances, after a meeting between their leadership and top government officials ended in deadlock.
At an organized meeting by the Minister of Health last Thursday, September 11, 2020, at the Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, the CDC government threatened tough action if Liberian health workers to ahead with their planned strike action.
On September 2, 2020, NAHWUL had a press conference announcing a planned strike action as their next course of action, after government failed to act upon the memorandum of understanding signed by the government of Liberia, following last year’s stay home strike action.
Some of their grievances outlined in their recent press release are include
government’s refusal to Grant NAHWUL certificate of recognition; a huge disparity in salaries of healthcare workers; as well as significant reduction of salaries as a result of the harmonization, which affects morally the output of healthcare status.
Justice Minister Frank Musa Dean has told the heads of the National Health Workers Union of Liberia (NAHWUL) that “where there is fire, fire fighter will go there to cut it off”.
That means that if the health workers try it to get in the streets, police along with other security forces will go there to deal with them.
According to a credible source who attended the meeting, the health workers were shocked, as they thought the meeting organized was a meeting to find the way forward to health workers plight. But rather, the source said it was a meeting to threaten those who are wearing the burning shoe (NAHWUL).
Our source further said that when they got on the meeting ground, their cell phones were seized and all those who attended presided over last Thursday’s meeting did not sound reconciliatory, neither did they avail themselves to find a way forward to the plight of health workers.
The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill; General Services Agency (GSA) Director General, Mary Broh: Finance Minister, Samuel Tweah; Labour Minister, Moses Y. Kollie; the Civil Servant Agency boss, James Thompson, as well the Minister of Justice, Frank Musa Dean.
Our source further stated that during the meeting, Minister Dean told the gathering that they will not even give the certificate asked for by NAHWUL, one of their grievances spelled out in their press release on September 2,2020. And even if the Minister of Health aske, he (Minister Dean) could say no to her and he will not allow for certain group of people to give their government two weeks ultimatum.
Minister Dean further added that “where there is fire, Fire fighter will go there.”
After Minister Dean’s left the podium, Finance Minister Samuel Tweah took the stand by telling the Health workers and others in attendance that they are not appreciative and that President Weah is a humanitarian, who has done a lot within a short period of time.
Minister Tweah claimed that what President Weah has done more than in the past regime by putting 2,000 health workers on payroll, therefore they should be appreciated.
The Finance Minister pointed at the NAHWUL’s President and Assistant Secretary who were in the meeting, saying that he (Minister Tweah) has the deeper feeling that the two leaders of NAHWUL were against their government.
Meanwhile, when President Weah took the stand to speak, our source said it was more disappointing than what previous officials had said.
The Liberian leader is quoted as saying that ‘everyday your will protest and the health workers press statement never mentioned anything about protest’.
A highly placed source narrated that President Weah told the gathering that even if the health workers go on protest, protest in the first place doesn’t make sense and the Minister of Justice has the right to ask the police and security forces to deal with people who will disrupt normal activities on the streets.
“In fact, whole day health workers have a slogan touch one, touch all and let see if the leaders are fire whether they will say touch one,” the Liberian leader is quoted by a source.
“Furthermore,” the Liberian leader warned that ‘when we fire those Health workers, we as government will bring nursing students to work.’
He is also quoted as saying that if the government sack the leaders of NAHWUL, nothing will come from out of it.
At the end, President Weah concluded that when the consequences occurred, people will condemn it, but by that time it has occurred already.
President Weah also told the gathering that health workers should sit with the Health Minister Dr. Jallah to find something for the responders, but without saying anything about the plight outlined by the NAHWUL leaders in a press release.
A policy document on redeployment and transfer of Liberian Health workers was formulated which affect their members without the input of union.
Our source said it was not a meeting where people could find a common ground but rather a meeting that ended in deadlock.