For the 3rd time running Redundant Workers of Arcelor Mittal Liberia have taken to the railroad in demand of what they refer to as their ‘just benefit’.
We former Workers were reportedly redundant between 2014 and 2016 but they are yet to receive their benefits.
But the alleged failure of the World Steel giant Tuesday, August 18,2020 triggered a protest by several aggrieved former workers of the company resulting to blocking of the railroad in Sanniquellie behind the government hospital in an attempt to draw the Company attention to their benefits.
The aggrieved workers who took to the railroad on Tuesday at 12 mid-day were seem with an empty casket and placards with the inscription ” AML Pay our money or Government Kill Us and Protect Arcelor Mittal”, which according to them symbolized their preparedness to die for their rights should there be any countered action from the government.
The aggrieved workers blocked the railroad with sticks and rocks to prevent the company’s locomotive from transporting iron ore from Mount Gangra behind Yekepa to the Buchanan Port in Grand Bassa County.
Few minutes after the aggrieved workers had gathered, several personnel from the Police Support Unit and Emergency Response Unit were deployed to monitor the process and removed the empty casket, storms and stones placed on the tracks by the aggrived workers.
The situation nearly turn chaotic when the officers moved in and began to remove the objects used by the protesters to block the railroad.
The standoff later claim down when the workers decided to remain peaceful in their quest to get their just benefits.
The blockade has left the company’s operation paralyzed,as it could not transport any iron ore from Yekepa to Buchanan up to press time.
Speaking to reporters, the head of the aggrieved redundant workers Kingston Nyandibo said, the protest will continue for the next days and weeks until their plight is addressed by the company.
Mr. Nyandibo told our National correspondent in Sanniy that their action was triggered by the alleged failure of the company to pay money owed them; even though the Liberian Government through the Ministries of Justice, Mines and Energy and Labor had earlier ruled in their favor and demanded the company to settle them.
He expressed his group’s unwillingness to dialogue with any group or individual; nothing that they will only leave the track if the company pays their just benefits.
He explained that the empty casket was taken to the scene of the protest to be used to convey the corpse of the first person who will be killed by the armed officers should there be any force used to get them off the track.
‘AML fooled us’
Nyandibo said they were misled by the company in 2017 that it was going to rehire them but they were later left out and others were employed to occupied positions they were serving in previously.
The Tuesday’s protest brings to three the number of protests staged by the aggrieved workers in demand for their benefits from the company.
It can be recalled few months ago, the group staged similar protests but abandoned their action following the intervention of Senator Prince Y. Johnson, Nimba Assistant Superintendent, Railey Myer,s, and the Nimba Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia Nimba Chapter and several other stakeholders from the county.
As it stands, the aggrieved workers have spend their first night at the Arcelor Mittal railroad with no movement of the company locomotive.
