By Bill W. Cooper
The Ministry of Labor (MOL) is said to be embroiled in a series of power struggles, as Minister Cooper Kruah is the center of tribalism and nepotism accusations as well as the abuse of power.
The allegations have since sparked outrage among employees within the Ministry, with call for President Joseph Boakai to take immediate action to holistically address the saga at its beginning stage.
The controversy began when several employees of the Ministry alarmed that that they were illegally dismissed by the Minister to accommodate his kinsmen, a decision which resulted into a broil between Minister Kruah and his Deputy Minister for Manpower, Steve Kolubah.
The situation also escalated, resulting into police intervention and a continuous internal conflict within the ministry after Minister Kruah, from Nimba County was being accused of favoring countrymen in hiring and promotion, while discriminating against other employees.
According to a screenshot of the Ministry WhatsApp chatroom, Minister Kruah has also ordered some police officers to the Ministry to enforce the “arbitrary” decision(s), ensuring that all dismissed employees have no access to the MOL premises.
Nimbians at Labor Ministry are Cllr. Kruah; Othello Mansuo, Deputy for Administration; Raphael Donokolo, Assistant Minister for Alien, Emmanuel Zorh, Assistant Minister for Labour Standards, and Rufus Freeman, Assistant Minister for Administration.
Others include Rufus Saylee, Assistant Minister for Trade Union; Daybah Johnson, Assistant Minister for Regional Labour; Eric Dahn, Alien Registration Director; Darius Weamie, Deputy Inspector General for Administration; G. Albert Teamie, Deputy Inspector General for Operations.
Also forming part of the list are Christal Mehn, Procurement Director; Mehfel Dehkpah, Human Resource Director; Emmanuel Gweh, Assistant Director T.I.P; Harris Yeanamie, Comptroller; Samuel B. Kpaiseh, Asst. Supervisor Security; Raphael Domah, Asst. Director of Health & Safety.
Sylvester Yeanamie, Labor Inspector of Montserrado; Orlando Kruah, Expeditor; Marian Mansuo, Filing Clerk, HIV/AIDs Division; Austine Mansuo, and Filing Clerk, DMA office are individuals that are also at the MOL and are from Nimba County.
According to our source, there is also a serious infight between two groups, with one being led by Minister Kruah and a group of employees led by Deputy Minister Kolubah and the Labor Inspector, Charles Brown.
One of the dismissed employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Minister Kruah is damaging the Ministry because the moment he took over, he immediately instructed the illegal dismissal of majority of my colleagues and I who are being denied access to the Ministry.”
“Deputy Minister Kolubah has said the illegally dismissed employees will enter and come to his office and this has also been backed by our Inspector, Charles Brown who has also insisted that we enter and continue our work,” he explained.
Another dismissed employee narrated, “It is clear that Minister Kruah is only interested in giving his own people jobs while qualified employees from other ethnic groups are being overlooked for promotions, while less qualified Nimba employees are given preferential treatment.”
Backing her allegations against the Minister, the dismissed employee also claimed that Minister Kruah had appointed several of his relatives to key positions within the Ministry, despite their lack of qualifications or experience.
She further accused him of abusing his power as Minister on claims that he had been using his position to intimidate and harass those who speak out against him; creating a culture of fear and silence within the Ministry and among employees.
Another person added, “Minister Kruah has created a toxic work environment where employees are afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation and he has been using his power to silence dissent and maintain control over the Ministry
Meanwhile, the aggrieved employees are calling on President Joseph Boakai to launch an immediate investigation to address the situation, ensuring transparency and fairness in the ministry’s recruitment and promotion processes.
