By Bill W. Cooper
&
Linus B. Flomo
The Civil Servants Agency (CSA) has assured government that this exercise will allow it save US$373,449.58 monthly and US$804,632.20 annually for the remaining months in 2024.
For some time now, the CSA has been conducting headcount at public institutions among which are the Ministries of Labour, Education, Transport, Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), John F. Kennedy (JFK) Memorial Hospital, Governance Commission (GC) and the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) as well as the Monrovia City Corporation.
So far, three public entities have protested the recommendation regarding their respective institutions that came with action by the CSA.
Just yesterday, a group of aggrieved employees took matters into their own hands by placing a padlock on the doors of the Ministry of Labor in protest of the CSA’s recommendations to dismiss 51 employees.
The aggrieved employees, who were visibly upset and frustrated, demanded answers and justice for what they perceived as an unjust decision that would leave them without a job, thus preventing other employees from having access to the Ministry.
Their actions are however triggered after the CSA blocked 388 employees who are being recommended for dismissal, one-month suspension without pay, and prorated salaries of employees who received warning letters based on the analysis reports of their attendance records following the verification and headcount exercise conducted at their respective entities.
Also of the total number of blocked employees, the CSA then recommended to the Ministry of Labor the dismissal of 51 employees from Labor for the above mentioned reasons.
The aggrieved employees, who said they were legally employed and had been working diligently and faithfully for the government for many years, felt betrayed and abandoned by the very institution that they had dedicated their lives to serving.
They believed that the decision by the Ministry to accept the CDA’s recommendation to dismiss them was ‘arbitrary and unjust,’ and they were determined to fight back against what they saw as a gross injustice.
But in response, Labor Minister, Cooper Kruah clarified that no employees would be dismissed without proper verification and investigation of the recommendation as submitted by the CSA.
He also assured the employees that their concerns would be taken seriously and that due process would be followed in determining their fate, and clarified, “We have not dismissed any employees and we don’t intend to do it illegally as being said by others.”
“We understand the concerns of the employees and we are committed to ensuring that their rights are protected, and like I promised them, no employee will be dismissed without a thorough investigation and verification of the allegations against him/her,” he added.
At the Ministry of Transport, there are calls on stakeholders and former consultants to respect the decisions made by the previous administration, working together with the current government in the spirit of unity and cooperation.
The ministry urged the aggrieved protesters, whose contracts were terminated through a communication from CSA to recognize the realities of the situation and engage in constructive dialogue rather than damaging the image of the Ministry.
The protests were fueled by misinformation and unfounded accusations, aimed to tarnish the reputation of the current leadership at the Ministry and government in entirety.
They stated, “The terminations of these consultancy contracts were decision made by the previous administration under former President George M. Weah and the former CSA boss James Thompson.”
The Ministry at the same time assured the public that it remain focused on its mandate to improve the transportation infrastructure as well as enhance public safety, and contribute to the economic development of Liberia.
While, significant discrepancies were also discovered during the headcount exercise conducted by the CSA at the Monrovia City Corporation.
Accordingly, the CSA, out of 955 employees listed on the MCC’s payroll, witnessed 630 employees who were successfully verified during the exercise, thereby raising concerns over the accuracy of the corporation’s employee records.
The headcount, which was part of a broader effort by the CSA to ensure transparency and accountability in government institutions, revealed that a staggering 209 employees, representing 22% of the workforce, could not be verified.
Further compounding the issue, the CSA’s report identified 13 employees amounting to 1% of the total workforce who were on leave without proper documentation, while two individuals who were said to have been on study leave failed to provide the necessary supporting documents.
101 employees, or 11% of the workforce, did not participate in the verification exercise at all, raising suspicions of ghost employees or individuals drawing salaries without actively working.