The Minister of Labor, Cooper Kruah, has denied the issuance and renewal of alien work permits to over 60 illegal migrant workers and imposed fines on several other employment entities across the country.
The Minister’s action was triggered by persistent violation by the affected entities by having non-Liberians in their employ without valid Liberian work permits.
A Labor Ministry press release issued in Monrovia quotes Minister Kruah as stressing that the affected illegal migrant workers and their employment entities have violated Section 4B of the Ministry’s 2019 Revised Regulation #17, which calls for preferential treatment for Liberians in the workplace or employment opportunities in keeping with the “Liberianization Policy”.
The Labor Ministry release further quotes the Minister as expressing frustration over the persistent violation by these illegal immigrant workers and their employment entities to adhere to repeated warnings from the Ministry to ensure that jobs solely reserved for Liberian citizens cannot be occupied by non-Liberians, unless they are not available under a competitive bidding process.
The fines imposed on the violating illegal migrant workers and their employers range from US$1,000 to US$10,000 and must be paid to government revenue within a 48-hour period or face much higher penalties for failure.
Releasing a list of the affected foreign workers and employment entities facing penalties for such violation, the Minister named Vinay Building Material Store in Johnsonville, Uptown Community; Hot Pot Incorporated, located on the Japan Freeway; Fortune Trading center, Saiful Business Center situated in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, among others.
Minister Kruah also noted that apart from the US$2,000 fines imposed on each of these business entities for illegal employment of alien workforce without obtainment or renewal of valid work permits, each individual migrant worker was also slammed with maximum fines of US$1000, in line with standing labor regulations.
The Labor Ministry release disclosed that more than 39 business entities and over 60 non-Liberian illegal workers have been affected by the Ministry’s latest action.
Meanwhile, several other companies and alien workers across the country found liable, not in compliance with the Ministry of Labor Work Permit obtainment and renewal guidelines, have been cited to appear at the Labor Ministry for scrutiny.
They include Vinay Building Material Store in Johnsonville, Uptown Community, with employees fined identified as Neeraj Skuharan and Pawa Mausuhani; Hot Pot Incorporated, Fortune Trading Corporation, Saiful Business Center and Himel Business Center, among others.
