By Moses M. Tokpah
-Margibi
Some aggrieved workers of the Booker T. Washington Institute in Kakata City, Margibi County, are on a slow protestation over allegations of salary disparities, financial mismanagement, and institutional neglect.
They claimed that those vices have significantly undermined employees’ welfare and institutional integrity.
The go-slow actions, which started on Monday, February 17, 2024, have paralyzed normal academic activities, including the administering of exams to BWI students.
The students who should have commenced their first-semester exams on Monday are yet to do so due to the ongoing go-slow actions by the teachers and janitors, amongst others.
The workers, through a press statement, are demanding immediate intervention to restore accountability, transparency, and operational efficiency at BWI.
The workers in their statement, raised 11 count petitions against the administration of BWI including persistent salary disparities, unresolved salary discrepancies at LBDI, lack of essential instructional materials, misallocations of TVET funds, employment irregularities, absence of a clear operational agenda, the principal’s absence on campus, violation of the school calendar, neglect of TVET project, threats against professionals who advocate for their rights, as well as corruption and disruptive leadership.
Detailing the counts, the workers claimed that the absence of structured salary system has led to arbitrary wage allocations resulting in unfair compensation and diminishing staff self-esteem and the crediting of staff salaries in an incomprehensible manner, reflecting for example, US$210 as two separate entries of US$105 each-one as a current balance and the other as an available balance.
“However, one-half of this amount is accessible, with no explanation for the withheld portion,” they stated.
The workers also disclosed that the lack of necessary practical resources continues to impede effective teaching and learning delivery in the technical and vocational departments.
They also accused the principal of diverting TVET program development funds for master trainers toward unauthorized salary increments that deviated from the intended purpose, something which, according to the petitioners, is stifling institutional growth and long-term sustainability while she and the Business Manager demonstrate minimal knowledge of the TVET project, causing it to deteriorate continually.
The BWI workers also alleged that the principal, retired HR Department, and Business and Finance Office (BFO) unilaterally determine salaries, fostering inequalities, exclusive recruitment beyond the approved BWI payroll ceiling with unjustifiably high salaries for selected individuals as well as retired HR manager over-hired personnel, placing existing employees at heightened risk of job insecurity.
They accused the principal of lacking a concrete operational plan, resorting to a trial-and-error approach, which the workers claim is unfit for an institution as significant as BWI.
The worker continued that since the appointment of the principal in May 2024, she has resided outside the BWI campus, disregarding the necessity for effective institutional management.
In the press statement, they accused the principal of violating the school’s calendar, pointing out that the academic year originally scheduled to commence in September was arbitrarily delayed until October 21, 2024, in direct violation of the
They said professionals who spoke up for their rights and benefits at BWI, are frequently threatened with dismissal to be replaced by inexperienced individuals, further undermining institutional competence.
On the issue of corruption and disruptive leadership, the workers said despite claiming “no business as usual,” rampant corruption is rotting” the institute, maintaining that Dr. Freeman has presided over an administration marked by financial irregularities and operational chaos.
Therefore, the workforce is calling on the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and other relevant bodies to immediately conduct a full investigation into the salary discrepancies, as well as a thorough payroll vetting, undertake banking audit to uncover and rectify any financial malpractices between BWI and LBDI.
They are also calling for the establishment of a transparent and equitable salary structure, noting that a formalized pay scale must be introduced to standardize remuneration across all employment levels.
They said addressing these ‘injustices’ at BWI is imperative to uphold the principles of transparency, accountability, and unfair labor practices that are not aligned with the government’s development goals.
They called on President Joseph Boakai, the Margibi Legislative Caucus, the Civil Service Agency, the Parent Teacher Association and other relevant authorities to take decisive action in restoring justice, equity, and institutional integrity at BWI.
“Failure to address these systematic issues promptly will only exacerbate institutional instability, ultimately jeopardizing the future of BWI. We remain unwavering in our pursuit of accountability, transparency, and fair labor practices for the collective benefit of all employees and stakeholders at BWI” the workers alerted.
In response, the Principal of the BWI, Nancy T. Freeman, said her administration has not diverted TVET funds in any wrong direction as claimed by the aggrieved workers.
The principal’s original residence is damaged while the one that was occupied by the immediate past principal does not have furniture and tile, but the Liberia Maritime Authority has agreed to renovate the principal’s residence.
As for the issue with the LBDI, the principal said lots of interventions have been made by her administration to have the situation addressed, noting that they are still working on it.
She admitted that the school opened beyond the Ministry of Education’s deadline but said that Minister Jarso M. Jallah was aware of the one-and-a-half-month delay in the opening of the institution, attributing it to the deplorable condition of the dormitories.
Dr. Freeman denied the workers’ claims about the lack of instructional materials at the institution, a clear operational agenda, rampant corruption, and dismissal threats against workers who advocate for their rights and benefits.
Commenting on the issue of salary structure, Dr. Freeman said there is nothing they can boast of at BWI, asserting that they must standardize it, but it cannot be done in the absence of money.
In conclusion, the principal denied dismissing workers and overstaffing the institution but admitted to recruiting additional workers on the grounds that some of the areas, such as the security, the clinic, and the kitchen, among others, were understaffed.