Rep. Bahway Wants Bad Labor Practice Halted

Representative Nathaniel N. Bahway of Grand Kru County Electoral District #1 has once again frowned on the bad labor practice in the country, something the lawmaker believes has created serious human rights violation in the country.
In his communication to the Plenary of the House of Representatives sometimes ago, the lawmaker urged his colleagues to urgently investigate some of the gross violations caused by Golden Veroleum Liberia- GVL, and other concession companies.
In a-five (5) count document submitted to Plenary, Rep. Bahway cited several issues which he said, GVL violated. “Hon, Speaker, and esteem colleagues, here are few counts as examples of the unfair labour practice against its employees,” he stated in his communication.
Citing an instance, the lawmaker said, a truck driver identified as Daniel Cooper, working for GVL who was transporting oil palm from Grand Kru County to its factory in Sinoe County was involved in an accident, but GVL failed to settle his medical benefit and compensation for the accident, but instead; GVL dismissed the truck driver for having accident with a GVL’s vehicle.
“Hon. Speaker, another case has to do with another employee called Emmanuel Sackor whose brother was caught stealing palm in the night and was taken to court. Hon. Speaker, this case was misdirected to Emmanuel as the doer of the crime instead of his brother; GVL Management dismissed Emmanuel,” he disclosed.
The lawmaker’s communication which brought total silence in plenary as to the urgency of the matter also revealed that another employee, Peter Wesseh, a security officer assigned at GVL, along with a tractor operator (name unknown) were asked to transport few mattresses from Grand Kru to Sinoe at which time GVL was carrying on road maintenance between the two counties.
Due to the road maintenance work, Peter and a security officer decided to return to Grand Kru County, and in that process, two of the mattresses dropped unknown to them, but GVL’s management asked them (Peter and the security officer) to pay for the dropped mattresses with immediate effect. Due to the urgency in paying for the mattresses, Peter Wesseh was dismissed since he didn’t have money to pay.
He named some of the contradictions signed between GVL and the Liberian government as employment of community citizens done with a ratio of 6 hecters to one employment, meaning, any employee who is employed under such arrangement and is not able to continue the work, such employee should be replaced by any other person recommended by the community, but said, GVL has failed to implement this portion of the MOU.
“GVL agreed according to appendix B-1 of the MOU to issue 50kg bag of clean rice to each employee as motivation per month, but also said, GVL as outside of this, has attached an unfair condition, which is, employees are to work for up to 23 working days before qualifying for the rice,” the communication stated.