Liberia news: Labour Ministry Launches Dispute Settlement At Firestone-

HARBEL-As part of finding permanent resolution to long standing labour disputes between workers and management at Firestone Natural Rubber Company in Margibi County, Labour Minister Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. has launched a series of resolution meetings at the Company. Minister Kruah, at the head of a top level team and officials from the umbrella trade union in the country, Liberia Labour Congress (LCC), over the weekend held separate discussions with Senior Firestone Management led by General Manager, Seamus Gunton and officials from LCC and it’s plantation member union, the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union (FAWUL), Marcus Blamah and Rodenic Bongorlee, respectively at the company head office in Harbel, Margibi County.

A  Labour Ministry press release issued monday in the aftermath of the successful conclusion of the first phase of Minister Kruah’s mediation exercise, key issues being discussed include: management’s alleged introduction of a process called ‘k-factor’, which reduces quantity of tapped rubber upon weighing leading to drastic to cuts in workers’ monthly wages.

The release further quotes the workers as lamenting deplorable housing and educational facilities, premature invalidation of retrenched and workers declared fit to resume work, after medical treatment which has impacted on their chances of receiving required benefits from the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP), among others.

The release disclosed that Minister Kruah, in addressing the audience urged both management and aggrieved Firestone workers to exercise tolerance, respect and cooperate with the ministry in amicably resolving the issues. He further called on both sides to avoid confrontation that could paralyze industrial activities, emphasizing the Government’s determination to use social dialogue in addressing industrial disputes, as the best formula for labour stability. The Labour Minister is further quoted as stressing the need for management to introduce an internal gratuity program for long serving workers, even as they await NASSCORP pension benefits as a motivational for increased production by the workers.

Minister Kruah is further quoted by the release as recalling that while his administration was already set to embark on the crisis resolution exercise, he received an official communication from the Senate Standing Committee on Labour, Grand Gedeh County Senator Thomas Yaya Nimely, outlining the gravity of situations at Firestone and the urgent need for peaceful settlement. For their parts, Firestone General Manager, Seamus Gunton, Legal Counsel Cllr. Edward Dillon and Government Affairs Manager Richard Falla lauded Minister Kruah for his personal swift intervention to resolve the crisis which, according to them, was now sparrawling out of control.

According to the release, they assured Minister Kruah that already management had initiated several projects, aimed at improvement in housing, educational and monthly wages, as well as other programs for the benefit of the workers. The release stressed that officials of the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union (FAWUL) and the Liberia Labour Congress (LCC) Rodenic Bongorlee, Foday Bangura and Marcus Blamah, commended Minister Kruah for initiating the crisis resolution meetings and assured him of their fullest cooperation in amicably and permanently resolving these burning concerns.

Meanwhile, a major Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) culminating from the ongoing crisis resolution meetings, binding all parties under the supervision of the Labour Minister is expected to be signed at an official program shortly, following completion of details by a joint technical committee comprising representatives from the workers and Management.