By Saio Marrah
The Secretary-General of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress, Max K. Conteh, has called on the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to thoroughly execute the new labour laws to impact the lives of workers.
He made the call during the final stakeholders’ consultative workshop on the review of the labour laws of Sierra Leone held at the Family Kingdom in Freetown on Tuesday 14th June 2022.
Conteh said the current laws are not that bad, but the problem is with the implementation. Taking a quote from the Bible where God says “Master pay your servant well’’, he admonished employers to abide by the dictate of God. He said workers are not paid well.
He noted that the country may have very good laws but when they are not implemented it makes nothing in the lives of the workers.
He applauded the government’s readiness to make sure the ratifications are completed, the Labour Congress Secretary-General also called on the government to peacefully conclude the ongoing negotiation with the teachers.
The Deputy Chairman of the Employers Federation, Tamba Allieu Kokobaye, acknowledged that they as employers cannot work without the employees.
He said if people are sympathising with the employees, they should sympathise with the employers as well since the current global crisis has immensely affected them.
He described the consultative meeting as a very important platform and opportunity to know how to enhance employee and employer performance.
The Chief Technical Adviser Opportunity Salone Programme, of ILO Tonderai Manoto, applauded the government’s effort on the current legislative reform as yet another sign of the government’s willingness and commitment to ensure that international labour standards are given effect in national laws and practice.
Labour and Social Security Minister, Alpha Timbo, said labour essentially talks about workers and that at every workplace there exist employees and employers. He said the relationship demands existing laws to regulate such a relationship between the two parties.
The current labour laws, some of which exist in the form of Ordinances have been in existence since the colonial era, Timbo stated. He decried those ordinances and laws as not adequately corresponding to modern-day challenges in the world of work.
He said the state of affairs should not continue.
He said his ministry in collaboration with Labour Congress and the employer's division decided to take action to strengthen the institutional and organisational framework to promote the enabling environment. They now have directorates rather than divisions and said their creation was geared towards making sure they effectively carry out their jobs.
The consultative meeting was first held right across the four provincial regional headquarters towns.
In attendance at the consultative meeting were representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the Sierra Leone Employers Federation.
The event was geared towards looking at six draft laws that include; the Employment Bill, Regulations of Wages and Industrial Relations Bills, Occupational Safety and Health Bill, Workers’ Compensation Bill, Overseas Employment and Migration Workers’ Bill and Permit Bill.
The ministry expressed its commitment to ratify ten International Labour Standard related matters on Migration for Employment, Labour Statistics, Social Security (Minimum Standards) and others.
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