In solidarity with the striking public health workers, the Liberia Labor Congress has threatened to organize a nationwide strike if the government attempt to dismiss and replace any member of the striking Health workers.
The LLC says it expect that the government continue negotiation with the Health and stop threatening them with dismissal under the canopy of replacing them with student nurses.
The Secretary General of the Liberia Labor Congress said the Congress and all of its affiliates Union are convinced that the Health Workers Strike is legal.
Mr. David Sackoh said the LLC expects that the government put into place the requisite frameworks to meet demands of the Public sector Health workers including the granting of certificate of registration to ensure the legalization of the Health Workers Union of Liberia.
Mr. Sackoh said this would ensure the return of the striking Public sector Health workers to the various health facilities and also satisfy the intent of several international treaties ratified by Liberia including ILO the conventions 97 and 98 in compliance with article 17 of the Constitution of Liberia.
He warned the government to legalized NAHWUL based on its commitment made in Geneva in 2018 and called on the Minister of Labour, Moses Y. Kollie, to stop raising what he calls ‘unnecessary’ technical issues especially the one that borders on the Civil Servant Standing Order.
Mr. Sackor believes that Minister Kollie has begun obstacle to Health Workers struggle for legal status by misinforming the government after he pledged the commitment to the ILO in 2018 to ensure that Public Sactor Health workers are unionized.
Contradiction
The Secretary General of the Agriculture Argo-Processing Industrial Workers Union of Liberia, Edwin Cisco however said the Civil Servants standing Order contradicts the Decent Work Act of 2015 that gives rights to all workers in Liberia to Unionize.
Mr. Cisco said “we cannot have two laws governing one sector” , making reference to the Civil Standing Order and the Decent Work Act of Liberia.
The Civil Servants Standing Order prohibits public Sector Workers from Unionizing while the Decent Work Act gives rights to all Workers in Liberia organize themselves in to trade Union provided National Tripartite Council is constituted to create the platform.
Mr. Cisco noted that the government is the problem because of it continues refusal to unionize the public sector health workers.
He said if the government gives the health workers the rights to union, it would set the tone for continue dialogue through collective bargaining framework and reduce the possibility of any future strike.
“Government must take all actions to ensure that the Health Workers return to work and meet their demands, all else the workers will not go with the government at this year’s international Convention in Geneva.
Also speaking the President of the Reservation, Aviation, and Communication Workers Union, Baryu Wallace said the LLC and its affiliates would make sure that government listen to the Health workers and address key demands by the Health workers.
Mr. Baryu said unionization is a rights and not a privilege and as such the government must respect all of the agreements entered into with the Health workers.
He said the entire trade union sector will continue to stand by the health workers in their struggle and clarified that issue of promoting trade union guide against unrestricted demands and strikes.
Continues negotiation
Dave Sneh, secretary General of the United Workers Union of Liberia warned the Government to initiate continue negotiation with the health workers and stop issuing ‘lazy threats’ that would undermine the health sector.
Mr. Sneh said the entire health sector would not relent to join the health workers strike should the government refuse to accept its responsibility of improving the welfare and living standards of the Health workers.
He noted that gone are the days when the plights of low income workers were ignore by the employers.
However, the government of Liberia in the past issue a strong worded statement threatening to dismiss striking health care workers and replace them with student nurse and volunteers, but the statement was met with strong public discontent and opposition.
This led to the government announcing that it would continue to hold talks with the striking health workers in a bid to resolve the matter.
As part of it negotiation process, the government has announced a 2-million United States dollars package towards the payment of hazard benefits, one of the demands of the striking health workers.
The health public sector health workers are demanding certificate of registration to legitimize their status, salary increment based on standards, frontline health workers who died during the COVID-19 fight, families be given benefits, among others.
The strike by the health workers has only compounded the fragility of the already struggling health sector of Liberia.
