By Bill W. Cooper
Several employees from the National Road Funds of Liberia (NRFL) on Tuesday staged a major protest at the institution’s premises over their ‘wrongful dismissal’ by the institution’s CEO, Joseta Neufville Wento.
Amidst chants and placards, the workers voiced their grievances, claiming that Wento unjustly terminated their contracts without any justifiable reason, replacing them with people believed to CDCians.
The National Road Funds of Liberia, established in December of 2016, is a significant institution responsible for managing the country’s road infrastructure projects and maintaining existing national roads.
It also ensures the proper allocation of funds, timely project execution, and the overall improvement of the nation’s road network, but recent events have somehow cast a shadow over the institution’s management.
According to them, their terminations were arbitrary, lacking due process, and driven by personal or political agendas, accusing the institution’s CEO of running the NRFL on political affiliations.
They further claimed that Wento has been exercising an autocratic leadership style, exhibiting favoritism, and neglecting to address employee concerns, adequately coupled with her act of misconduct and abuse of office.
During their protestation, the employees further demanded their immediate reinstatement by the NRFL CEO, as well as emphasizing the need for improved employee welfare, including better working conditions, fair remuneration, and a more inclusive decision-making process within the institution.
The group also called on the incoming Unity Party government to ensure the firing of the institution’s CEO, on grounds that she’s unfit, incompetent, and lacks the moral standards to ensure the smooth running of the NRFL.
But reacting to the employees claims, the NRFL management denied the allegations, describing the protesters as contractors and not full-time employees of the institution.
The NRFL further described the group’s actions as being political and unpatriotic, disclosing that the contractors were never dismissed as is being alleged by them, instead, the contract entered into with the NRFL got expired and was never renewed.
The NRFL management further added that, prior to the expiration of their contracts, they all were served appropriate notices months ago, with specific stipulations in accordance with the contracts.
