The Ministry of Labour has launched a robust nationwide Minimum Wage Salary Payment Verification Exercise, with several Liberian-owned businesses and entities found in violation.
A Labour Ministry press release issued from Gbarnga, Bong County, quotes Labour Ministry’s Assistant Director of Minimum Wage Division, Madam Blessing Suah, who is heading the team, as disclosing that the three-man team constituted by Labour Minister Kruah comprises the Deputy Director of Communications and Public Affairs, E. Frederick Baye, and Moses Kaiseh, Secretary at the Minimum Wage Division.
Madam Suah further disclosed that the one-week intensive Minimum Wage Verification Exercise from June 18th to 23rd covered several leading Liberian-owned investment companies. The release further quotes Director Suah as adding that during the week-long exercise across Bong County, her team visited, inspected and conducted awareness on growing irregularities by proprietors and owners of Liberian owned businesses, including pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, Private Security Guard Companies, among others found to be underpaying staff below the Minimum Wage Salary Benchmark stipulated in The Decent Work Act (DWA). The release maintained that the ongoing Minimum Wage Salary Verification Exercise is in line with Minister Kruah’s labour transformation program introduced under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s Rescue Mission Government’s ‘Agenda for All Inclusive Development’, targeting increments in salaries and benefits for Liberian workers at both foreign and Liberian-owned investment companies without discrimination.
The Labour Ministry release named key Liberian-owned entities toured by the Minimum Wage Salary Verification Enforcement Team in Bong County as: Cuttington University, Nasser Hotel, Alkuru Medical Clinic, Abhi Building Material Store, The Wetland Medical Clinic, the Joseph Mayango Medical Clinic and East Star Security Guard Service.
The release added that in some appalling instances, the management of some of the inspected Liberian-owned entities were found in glaring violation of the Minimum Wage Salary Benchmark and warned to remedy the situation.
The release acknowledged the Nasser Hotel, Alkuru Medical Clinic, Passion Hotel, Abhi Building Material Store, among a few other entities across Bong County for their level of compliance and called on other Liberian-owned businesses to ensure full compliance and avoid serious penalties in line with the Decent Work Act (DWA).
Meanwhile, Minimum Wage Assistant Director Suah has disclosed that the team will embark on a similar exercise in Grand Bassa County shortly.
