Several supplementary employees of the Executive Mansion were, over the weekend, left in a state of panic and uncertainty after receiving information that their contracts were being terminated.
The information was given to the employees by Deputy Minister of State for Administration, Cornelia Kruah-Togba, during a called meeting in which she informed the employees that the government is unable to renew their contract due to financial challenges.
The supplementary employees, according to information, were hired on a temporary basis by former President George Weah to assist with various tasks within the Executive Mansion.
However, they were hopeful that former President Weah would have won the recently held election to enable them get civil servant status, but it did not go as planned.
According to our reporter, the outrage started after a meeting was called by Deputy Minister Kruah-Togba at the Mansion. During the Friday meeting, Minister Kruah-Togba told the employees, “I am pleased to inform you all that the government is unable to renew your contracts.”
“This is because this government inherited a bloated payroll and based on the ongoing audit of the Ministry, it has been established that your services are not needed. However, the Ministry of Finance is working out modalities to ensure the swift disbursement of your three months’ salaries,” she added.
This information, however, left the employees in total disarray, besieging the main entrance of the Mansion, which later resulted in the throwing of stones and the damaging of other State properties.
As the protest escalated, tensions ran high among the employees, with some expressing their anger and frustration at the sudden termination of their contracts.
They demanded answers from the President Joseph Boakai concerning the abrupt termination of their contracts.
The group, which overwhelmed the officers of the Executive Protection Service (EPS) on duty during the incident, vowed to continue their protest until their concerns were addressed.
Meanwhile, the situation took a dramatic turn when riot police of the LNP arrived at the scene to disperse the protesters.
The presence of the police officers initially caused a sense of fear and apprehension among the employees, who feared that they would be forcibly removed from the premises.
Despite the initial tension, the riot police managed to restore calm to the situation through their professional handling of the protest, and after hours of negotiations, the officers were able to remove the protesting employees from the Executive Mansion premises.
