Labour wants APM Terminate reinstate dismissed contractors

Labour Minister Moses Y. Kollie has frowned on the issuance of sub-employment contracts by major employers and institutions in the country. He said the act by these institutions is intended to evade responsibilities such as the payment of benefits for year(s) served.

Minister Kollie made these assertions Thursday, March 1, 2018 when he and deputies met with the Management of APM Terminate and dismissed workers of the company at his Labour Ministry office in Monrovia.

Recently seventeen (17) dismissed workers of the Construction and Mining Contractors (CMC) Inc. a sub-contracting company of the APM Terminate at the National Port Authority (NPA), assembled at the home of President George M. Weah to seek his intervention. The president in return requested the Minister of Labour to look into the aggrieved workers complaints.

Following the President’s mandate, Minister Kollie immediately met with the workers to listen to their plight and invited the management of the APM Terminate and the workers for a conference with the senior management team of the Ministry.

Outlining their complaints, Madam Victoria Walker said that since 2011, they have worked with three (3) different sub-contractor companies with the last being CMC. (CMC is to manage the cleaning crew with the APM Terminate.) She said that on February 8, 2018 she and sixteen other contractors of CMC service were terminated without any benefit. She noted that what is of more concern, is that after the termination of the 17-contractors, the company has contracted twenty-nine (29) new workers to perform the same task. “We worked for 12-hours daily without overtime and now they have hired 29 new contractors who are working for eight (8) hours.”

Speaking during the interactive dialogue, the Labour Minister said that the CDC campaigned on change and as such they must insist that things are done differently noting that “we need investors, but friendly investors who will respect our people.”

“This is a new day and things must be done differently in the interest of our people. We will ensure that no company becomes untouchable. We want to encourage all investors and employers to work together with the Ministry for a peaceful labour sector.”

He told the management of APM Terminate to ensure that the port be a safe place for both workers and employers saying that “as a management your responsibility is to ensure that your company continue to live up to its best.”

He called on the Management of APM Terminate to reconsider her decision and recall the 17 former workers as a means of resolving the situation. In response, the Management of APM Terminate promised to get back to the Minister by Monday, March 5, 2018 with an answer.

Meanwhile, Labour Minister Hon. Moses Y. Kollie is calling on all would be aggrieved workers in the country to seek the intervention of the Ministry of Labour and avoid running to the home of the president for redress.