An unspecified number of workers at the mobile telecommunications company, AFRICELL, have written a strongly-worded letter to their management demanding improved pay and conditions of service, issuing a 10-point demand.
Among the serious allegations levelled against their employers, the aggrieved workers accuse the company of flouting government provisions with impunity alleging that some government ministers are propping up the company because “they have vested interest there”.
They say some workers have been on probation for over 9 months without being made full time staff, as contained in Article 5/D of the Sierra Leone Gazette, Govt notice no 337, 8th August, 2011 which states that “On no account should [a] probationary period exceed 9 months”. Corporate Affairs officer at AFRICELL, Abass Bangura denies that there are any normal staff that have served for more than 9 months without being made permanent. He says only contract staff are in this category.
The workers also say that staff must receive accumulated leave due them based on the number of years accumulated before proceeding on leave in accordance with Article 8/c of the Sierra Leone Gazette, Govt notice no 337, 8th August, 2011. They say this is being violated at will. Abass Bangura says that internal mechanisms exist for redress but insists that all those due leave allowances have been duly paid them. “When a worker acts in a higher position for at least 28 days, he must be paid an allowance, the equivalent of the difference between his current salary and the minimum salary of the grade in which he is acting” in accordance with Article 13 of the Sierra Leone Gazette no 337, say the aggrieved workers.
The AFRICELL Corporate officer says this is under review, adding that any staff who has acted and not been tenured the company will ensure such a staff member gets their allowance.
The workers also say that some staff are being forcibly transferred to positions they were not recruited for, which is contrary to the provisions of a government gazette which states that a worker must not be forced to take a position that they were not recruited for.
Bangura says the case in point stated in the letter was done with the consent of the staff member in question. He also denies that drivers who have not been involved in a road accident throughout the year were not given their “Non Accident Bonus” in accordance with Article 43 of the Sierra Leone Gazette no 337. Even though the bonus was not referred to as such, Bangura says all workers including drivers received bonuses far in excess of their Non-Accident Bonus with some receiving twice their monthly salaries. He says only contract drivers did not receive this as they are not entitled to it.
The workers accused AFRICELL of not paying the “Non Sick Bonus” of staff who did not claim any medical allowance throughout the year as stated in Article 9, c 2 of the Sierra Leone Gazette no 337.Bangura also denies this, insisting that staff who made any withdrawal of the medical allowance in the year were not entitled to such bonus.
The aggrieved staff say they need their housing allowances to be paid them annually as landlords and landladies charge rent per annum. They also demand a 100% increase in their salary and want a 50% reduction of expatriate staff at the company. They allege that expatriate staff exist even as painters and garage supervisors.
They say less than 2% (two per cent) of the entire local staff of the company have received any job improvement trainings since joining the Company.
