SRC to shut down soon

The New Dawn has received report that the Salala Rubber Corporation or SRC in Margibi County District#5 is considering an indefinite shut down shortly.

Sources informed this paper the planned exercise will affect the company’s health and education institutions, tapping department and other major operations with hundreds of citizens risk losing jobs, and students to drop from school.

Union officials and the SRC management are said to be engaged in serious discussion concerning the company’s plan action with union members pleading with the management to rethink the decision.

Speaking on a local radio station recently in Weala, Margibi County, the President of the Salala Agricultural Workers Union or SAWU Mr. Anthony Opa Moses disclosed the company may shut down.

Mr. Moses said the company is trying to protect its investment from alleged threats that may cause problem to its growth. Since January 2018, there have been several mysterious killings at the SRC Plantation, sparking tension against the company from citizens with threats of arson attack on company properties.

Recently, a local rubber station belonging to the company was burnt around the SRC Camp Five region.Some citizens, including relatives of one of those killed have allegedly been preventing employees from reporting for work in demand of redress from management over the murder of their relative allegedly by security personnel of the SRC.

There is also a long standing unsettled land issue between some citizens and the company.A spokesperson for the aggrieved citizens is accused of accepting bribe from the company and downplaying the interest of the others.

These people are now according to report, threatening to put a complete stop to the company from beginning tapping of rubber that it planted some years back which is now ready for tapping.

With all of the above, the company is faced with serous tension in the area and management is allegedly blaming the local authorities for inciting citizens against its operations but the authorities denied allegation.

By Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr. in Margibi-Editing by Jonathan Browne