By Saio Marrah
Workers of the Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company (Sierratel), have in a peaceful protest demanded the intervention of President Julius Maada Bio over their challenging working conditions.
The workers carrying placards lined along the Cotton Tree Area, in central Freetown last Thursday, demanding payment of their seven month salary backlog. They also asked for the provision of medical and leave allowances, the latter which they claimed, they have been deprived of, for the last three years.
“We want President Bio to know about our plight”, they chanted, claiming also of having exhausted all avenues for an end to their challenges.
Lansana Papa Kamara, attached to Sierratel’s Information Technology (IT) Department, informed Politico that they have held over 20 meetings with several stakeholders that include the Minister of Information and Communication, the Chairman of National Commission for Privatization, and Legal Aid Board, but that the situation remains the same.
He said: “We decided to come here today because we think it is the best way to get the president’s attention. Because if we are fortunate to see him I am sure he will be angry because they are deceiving him by hiding the truth from him saying everything is going on well at Sierratel which is not true.”
Kamara said the accompanying stressful situation has led to five of their colleagues losing their lives. He said because of lack of pay, homes have been broken, kids dropping out of school, while others have lost their apartments because they could not pay their house rents.
Victoria Kabia, another staff of Sierratel, who works at the Commercial Department, said they had even written a letter to President Bio, but they could not get any feedback.
According to her, all what the other authorities have been saying to them is to be patient. She also talked about how the deteriorating situation has impacted on the operations of the company.
“We have lost Over 90 thousand costumers. We have even become idlers because even if we are in office, there is nothing to do because there is no equipment. The network is down, the company is dying,” she said.
Another staff who could not reveal his name, said most of their colleagues could not even afford transport fare to go to work, especially those coming from afar and have stopped going to work.
The Head of Media and Public Relations, Mohamed Badamasi Cole, told Politico via a phone call that the substantive management of the company had been sacked by government.
Cole said government has set up an interim body that will manage the company until the completion of the handing over ceremony to a new private company, Sentinel, which he said, won the biding process.
He said a three month period for completion of the handing over ceremony should have taken place in June this year.
He said the salaries and other arrears s of staff keep accumulating.
Cole also noted that the staff decided to stage a protest because of the assurances by some government officials that the agreement with Sentinel has almost been completed.
Cole also said that Sierratel is not making profit for now because most of their machines are not functioning.
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