By Bill W. Cooper
The management and Workers Union of Sethi Brothers have refuted recent allegations levied against the Company over the manufacturing of substandard materials and bad labor practices meted against its employees.
“We strongly believe that such misleading information against Sethi Brothers and its owner, Paul Sethi is only intended to damage the good image and reputation of the company,” they stated.
“We also see these lies by those individuals as means to put the management and workers at loggerheads, undermine the government Pro-poor Agenda with the intent of creating economic sabotage and scare away investors that are desirous of investing for their own selfish political reasons,” the management said.
Recently, several Liberian business owners under the banner “United Liberians for Justice and the Rule of Law” accused and raised numerous concerns on the operation of Mr. Sethi and his companies across the country.
The groups through its spokesperson, Dominic Nimely at a press conference recently alleged that all of the products ranging from plastic chairs, rubber buckets and bowls, steel rods being manufacture by the company are all substandard materials that are not durable but only intended to exploit the citizenry.
The group also named the issues of bad labor practice, non-insurance of workers, as well as marginalization of Liberians including his involvement into business exclusively set aside for Liberians and his refusal to provide job opportunity of Liberians among others.
“Paul Sethi is mistreating and using our own Liberian brothers and more to that, allowing them to do measurement of paints and other hazardous substances with their bare hands which at times lead to them encountering serious injuries and health issues,” the group stressed.
But addressing a major press conference yesterday at the Sethi Brothers office in Monrovia, the company’s Marketing Manager, Anthony Welleh also described the claims as a scare tactics and a failed business strategic by the group.
According to him, while it is true that no institution is problem-free; all of their staff and employees’ grievances have always been channeled through the proper authority which is the Ministry of Labor for redress, contrary to the group’s allegations.
He stressed, “As you may be aware, Sethi Brothers is one of the renowned companies operating in Liberia that is promoting the image of the government by having many youthful Liberians in its employ in order to reduce the poverty rate in the country.”
“Furthermore, it can be recalled that during the heat of then COVID-19, workers of the company that were sent home in line with the government’s health regulations were all still taking their regular salaries on a monthly basis and that is what Mr. Paul Sethi stands for,” Mr. Welleh explained.
He further stated, “So relative to the lies spewed by those unscrupulous individuals, we as management are calling on the general public including our valuable customers not to give any credence to those detractors because their action is political and act of jealousy.”
Earlier, the Company’s Administrative Manager, Siafa Morgan expressed his disappointment in the group for what he termed as ‘unfortunate and pitiful’ their claims made by the group.
According to him, contrary to their assertion against the company, Seth Brothers is one of the foreign companies that are greatly and passionately serving the populace and the country at large through their regular tax payment to the government and the creation of several job opportunities for the citizenry.
In terms of safety for employees, Mr. Mrogan said, “All of our employees are well taken care of and that protective gears are given to them whenever they are at work. And in case of any injury, the company’s management always takes full responsibility and even caters to the injured person’s family until their recovery.”
The Sethi Worker’s Union president, Richard Weah stressed, “We as workers of the Sethi Brothers Company disassociate ourselves from said action and or allegation from those individuals and we can never and will ever be part of said action and lies.”
