As Former And Aggrieved WBHO Workers Are Demanding Justice Over Unfair Labour Practice
Photo credit: Ablee-jay TV
By King Brown, sarwahking@gmail.com
BUCHANAN, Liberia- Former and aggrieved employees of WBHO, a contractor under the iron ore mining company ArcelorMittal Liberia, have issued a seven-hour ultimatum to the company, demanding immediate action on alleged unfair labor practices.
WBHO, known as Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon Ltd, is a South African construction firm hired by ArcelorMittal Liberia for railway maintenance work.
The ultimatum, signed on Thursday by group leaders Madison Johnson and Melvin Redd, outlines grievances dating back to February 2023.
Key concerns include wrongful wage deductions, unpaid overtime, and withheld leave payments.
The employees also claim denial of access to employment contracts, making it difficult to verify employment terms and seek redress.
Additional issues raised involve unclear social welfare fee payments, lack of salary increases after promotions, and alleged intimidation and discrimination by senior managers.
The group criticizes the company for insufficient food provisions, failure to reimburse transportation costs, and discrepancies between promised salaries in South Africa and actual pay in Liberia.
Citing the Decent Work Act of 2015, the former employees emphasize the Act’s provisions for safe working environments and fair labor practices, arguing that WBHO’s actions violate both national and international labor standards.
They urge the Grand Bassa Legislative Caucus, the Ministry of Labor, and ArcelorMittal to investigate their claims thoroughly.
Madison Johnson, speaking to www.newspublictrut.com on Friday, warned that their protest on Wednesday would severely disrupt WBHO’s operations if their demands are not met.
Despite distributing their complaints to various authorities, including ArcelorMittal Liberia’s management, the Ministry of Labor, county officials, the Liberia National Police, and the Grand Bassa Caucus, they have received no response.
Johnson noted that only ArcelorMittal Liberia’s management has shown some interest in meeting but without specifying a date or place, which the workers see as disrespectful.
“Our protest on Wednesday will affect the company’s operations significantly,” Johnson said. “We will encourage current workers to join us and lay down their tools on that day.”
As the ultimatum’s deadline approaches, all eyes are on WBHO to see how the company will respond to these serious allegations.
The former employees have vowed to proceed with their protest if their grievances are not addressed, aiming to halt the company’s operations until their issues are resolved.
Attempts to contact WBHO management for comments were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Recently, Afcon management settled outstanding arrears owed to its workers across Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties after days of intense demonstrations by aggrieved employees demanding long-overdue payment and other benefits.
Those protests disrupted Afcon’s operations and were resolved through the intervention of county Labor Commissioner Johnson Qouigbian and stakeholders from both affected counties.
Nearly 300 aggrieved workers received their overdue payments and benefits last month, with the lowest amounting to US$735.