As Labor Leaders Declare “D-Day”
PHOTO: John Nyemah Nat, Secretary General, Liberia Labor Congress
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
There is a groundswell of opinions in the Liberia Labor Congress over whether or not to stage a nation-wide strike.
A meeting of Congress is expected to hold a mass meeting aimed at taking a decision whether to not to declare a nation-wide strike for what they termed as government’s constant habit of undermining the LLC.
On Saturday, the LLC special election committee set up by the Ministry of Labor conducted an election boycotted by vast majority member-unions, and declared James Green, President; Winston Wreh, Vice President for Administration; Marcus Blama, Secretary General, among others.
Addressing a press conference at the LLC headquarters in the Township of Gardnerville, LLC Acting Secretary General, John Nyemah Nat, rejected the outcome of the election conducted by the Counselor Phil Dixon LLC special elections committee, because the Labor Ministry violated mandate of the Supreme Court by conducting the election without taking into consideration the laws governing elections
Nat disclosed that the meeting will bring together members of the national executive committee, its affiliate unions, and all public sector workers.
The LLC Secretary General threatened to mobilize the estimated 900,000 members from the National Teachers Association of Liberia, the Civil Servants Association of Liberia, the National Health Workers of Liberia and workers in the agricultural and informal sectors in the 15 sub political divisions to be on a stand by and get ready for an indefinite stay-home action
He said the workers will decide on the next course of action since the government failed to adhere recommendations of the decisions of the International Labor Organization.
According to him, the Phil Dixon LLC special election committee failed to use the laws set by the LLC and accredited organizations and individuals who have not met the bench mark for participating in the elections
Nat explained that the LLC has informed the International Labor Congress not to recognize the pro- government leaders until the government will stop interfering and undermining the Liberia labor sector.
The issue of the government refusal for the public sector workers to allow them to form membership of the LLC is creating anger between the civil servants and the CDC as they plan to retaliate at the October polls
Political observers are of the opinion that this deterioration of relations between the leaders of the labor sector and the government does no august well for the ruling party which is campaigning vigorously to retain power.