By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
The Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray has said his ministry and the Sierra Leone Labour Congress are working to ensure that the minimum wage which is 800 Leones be improved to meet the economic challenges employees face.
Swaray made this statement at the government’s weekly press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conference room on July 16, 2024, in which the minister was highlighting challenges workers face in Sierra Leone.
“My very self is aware that things are difficult. Though the government is doing better, the current minimum wage is not good for many people. But I am also aware about the budgeting situation,” he maintained, saying the Employment Act 2023 has a provision that says there has to be a Joint National Negotiating Board for the negotiation for wage adjustment. He noted that they would be negotiating with the Sierra Leone Labour Congress and other relevant parties.
Speaking about the challenges that university graduates face to secure jobs, Swaray urged students to offer courses that are needed by employers, and that a National Volunteering Policy will be sent to cabinet which he said is to address the problems associated with job experience for fresh graduates, noting that there are graduates that do not have the required skills.
Swaray however went on to say his ministry has developed a Trade Testing Unit for assessing and validating skilled workers and giving them the necessary help.
He explained how his ministry had mediated conflicts between companies and workers, citing the case of the Sierra Rutile strike action which he said led to the death of one of the workers but that he has sorted that out. On another note he said: “We have managed the strike action at Leone Rock,’’ he added.
Speaking about migrant workers , Swaray said they have given licenses to 23 private agencies which he said are the legal, but that some citizens would prefer the illegal means to seek for jobs overseas , saying ‘’because if they come through the right channel, they will have to go through the industrial process .’’
In her statement, an Executive Member of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress, Chelcy Alma Heroe urged all labour unions to register with them, saying their role is to protect the conditions and terms of workers. “Sierra Leone Labour Congress is there to represent you as a worker both nationally and internationally, and it is the body that negotiates wages and better conditions of service for workers,’’ Heroe said. She explained how they intend to formalise the informal sector.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (17/07/24)
