The Labour Minister, Charles H. Gibson, has resolved major concerns raised by employees at the BEA Mountain Mining Company in Grand Cape Mount County and encouraged the management and workers to foster a conducive working environment.
The Minister has at the same time invited the BEA Mountain Management to the Labour Ministry officials to discuss issues relating the reinstatement of seven persons that were dismissed from the BEA Mountain Monrovia office, including thirteen truck drivers that were also dismissed from the fuel farm of the company.
The employees at the BEA Mountain Mining Company through their spokesman Mr. Samuel G Roberts complained their management to the Ministry of Labour for failing to adhere to some provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) including the payment of benefits that should be given to workers.
According to Mr. Roberts, it was agreed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that management should conduct job mapping as an addendum to the CBA in line with Article 11 Section 1.2 of the CBA, something which management had reneged on since the inception of the Collective Bargaining Agreement in September of 2022.
He said a Memorandum of Understanding was signed and management agreed to admit each definite contractor as union member upon receiving their written authorization and consent to be a member to receive rice, tuition, insurance, leave time amongst other things as benefits.
The BEA Mountain Workers Union president further explained to the Minister and delegation that management has failed to request authority of the NASCORP for statement of employees’ monthly contribution and to abolish the prolonged definite contracts of employment without benefits, social protection, and the provision of infinite employment which is a key pillar of decent work in Liberia.
Meanwhile, after going through the preliminary hearings, Minister Gibson has engaged the management of BEA Mountain Mining Company through its general manager Mr. Reza Karimiyan to address the employee’s concerns and to take measures to amicable resolve the solution.
In response, BEA Mountain General Manager Karimiyan assured the Minister that the management will give all necessary cooperation to the employees in an effort to ensure a peaceful working environment at the company.
Mr. Reza said, the remittance of due collected is one of the major issues they are carefully looking into for settlement but promised to resolve it in the soonest possible time.
He, at the same time committed that they would begin giving the six hundred workers some of their benefits which include rice, insurance, and other things.
The BEA Mountain General Manager further told Minister Gibson and the Workers Union president that, their HR Manager and the finance officer are handling the situation with the authority at NASCORP but asked the Union to also nominate two persons along with their team to meet with NASCORP to expedite the process for a timely redress.
The BEA Mountain management also promised the Liberia Labour Minister to give him the listing of those employees working within the chemical area that is considered hazardous to make them permanent employees with the company.
