By Alpha Abu
With Sierra Leone continuing to face the challenges associated with the coronavirus, reports have emerged of workers assigned to contain the spread of the pandemic in the northern Tonkolili district embarking on a strike action over pay.
The workers believed to come from some of the seven technical pillars of DICOVERC, the district body charged with addressing matters related to the pandemic, say they are yet to be paid their risk allowances amounting to between three and four months.
The spokesman for Tonkolili’s DICOVERC, Robert Salia Koroma told Politico that he and the District Coordinator, Alusine Kamathor Sesay had been coming under immense pressure from the affected workers.
He said they were both part of a delegation currently in Freetown for discussions scheduled for today, with the leadership of NACOVERC on the workers’ situation.
Salia Koroma said the district was crucial in controlling the virus in the country as it shared boundaries with seven other districts some of which have border crossing points with neighbouring countries.
The District Surveillance Officer, Tejan Sumaila was quoted as saying that people working in other districts to curb the spread of the virus had been paid their allowances, though such a claim could not be independently verified by Politico.
Reports also say the District Medical Officer, Dr. Abdul Mac-Falama had in a letter addressed to the head of NACOVERC’s Technical Pillar highlighted the prevalence of low morale amongst the workers in Tonkolili because of their concerns over outstanding allowances.
Up to Saturday 19 February 2021 the district had gone nine days with no new recorded COVID19 case.
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