By Politico Staff Writer
Officials of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, led by the Commissioner of Labour, John Kallon, last week conducted unannounced inspections on the premises of three private businesses to ascertain compliance of Sierra Leone’s Labour Laws.
The businesses visited are all packaged water producing companies - Bokum, Family and So Pure Water, operating in Freetown.
According to a news release from the Information Officer attached to the Ministry, the team held discussions with the management and workers of the businesses visited.
The release quoted the Labour Commissioner, Mr. Kallon, saying that the tour was in fulfillment of their mandate to conduct regular unannounced inspections at business entities nationwide.
Among others, the team sought to inspect the operation licences of the entities for 2019 and ascertained the availability of personal protection equipment for the workers. The Labour Ministry officials also requested to see pay vouchers of the workers to ascertain if they were paid in accordance with the Industrial Trade Group Agreement, whether the NASSIT contributions for the employees have been effective and whether workers are granted annual or maternity leave with allowances.
The engagement also entailed discussions geared towards sensitizing the business owners on the issue of work permit.
Commissioner Kallon warned that it's against the country’s law for any foreign national to either start up business or engage in any form of employment activity without first obtaining work permit from the ministry, which is renewable annually.
The Chief Executive Officer of Bokum Pure Water Company at Kissy By Pass Road, Mohamed Bokum, promised to submit the documents requested by the Commissioner of Labour when the secretary of the company, who was reported to have been out of the office for almost a week for personal reasons, returned.
The team from the Ministry of Labour observed that the production environment and processing of the company were in accordance with the occupational safety and health of workers, according to the release.
At the Family Pure Water Company at Shell, New Road, its Manager, Nabil Iftouni, submitted some of the documents requested, with the exception of the 2019 factory licence which he had misplaced but promised to submit it to the Commissioner of Labour when he recovered it.
The delegation concluded that even though production was not on going at the time, the production environment was hygienic.
And finally at So Pure Water Company at Kissy Dock Yard, the General Manager of the company, Amin Hudroge, displayed full compliance.
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