National Transit Authority employees vow to revenge at ballot box

By Lewis S Teh

President George Manneh Weah could pay a high price at the ballot box in future elections if he fails to heed calls by employees of the National Transit Authority (NTA) to dismiss the entity’s managing director, Harbie Macauley for alleged corruption.

“We really don’t know what President Weah sees in a man who’s being accused of many corruption, but if he (President Weah) ignore our quest to have Mr. Macauley dismissed, our only option is to revenge at the ballot box”, protesting NTA employees vowed recently.

They besieged the entity’s compound along the Japan Freeway on Monday this week, calling on President Weah to immediately dismiss their boss for non-payment of salary and administrative mismanagement.

“We are tired with this corrupt individual, and we are calling on President Weah to see reason and dismiss Mr. Macauley, because he’s responsible for all the corruption that is ongoing here at the NTA”, they lamented.

The aggrieved workers carried placards with inscription, “The corruption and bad labor practice need to stop.”

According to them, since the ascendency of Mr. Macauley as managing director of the NTA, situations continue to worsen with the entity’s busses broken down and money meant for payment of salaries diverted for his personal use something, they note, prompted their protest, calling for his dismissal.

“We will continue this strike action until the President remove him, and failure on the part of President Weah to dismiss this guy, we will revenge our anger to the ballot box come 2023”.

The further explained most of the entity’s fleet of over 50 buses are grounded because of minor problems, including lack of fuel.

The employees’ threat to revenge thru the ballot box against the governing Coalition for Democratic Change is the second here, after aggrieved marketers in Red Light, Paynesville and Duala on Bushrod Island accused the government through the Monrovia City police of destroying their market stalls, leaving them with no option but to similarly revenge at the ballot box.

However, Managing director Macauley responding after he was called in for questioning by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission or LACC recently, regretted strike actions by aggrieved workers and apologized for the incident which paralyzed normal operations of the public transportation service across the country. The situation also left thousands of citizens stranded.

Mr. Macauley admitted to “issues” being at the entity but disclosed that the management team has been striving to address those issues.

According to him, the management of the NTA has agreed to address additional issues raised by the aggrieved employees and contractors in keeping with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) they signed.

He pointed out that safety gears for employees and contractors have been immediately provided, and added that each employee and contractor received a bag of rice and one month’s salary during the Independence Day celebration on July 26.

Mcauley vowed to continue to work with employees and contractors at the NTA in a bid to address issues confronting them and the institution to guarantee productivity, efficiency and effectiveness.

But from all indication, it seems the managing director has failed to meet up with promises he made to the aggrieved workers and contractors something, that is responsible for their continue strike actions against the managing director. https://thenewdawnliberia.com/nta-boss-under-probe/Editing by Jonathan Browne