LIBERIA: Teachers At BWI On Go-Slow In Demand Of Salary Increment
From Christopher Wiah In Margibi County*
(Kakata, January 24, 2022): Teachers of the academy session of the Booker Washington institute (BWI) in Kakata, Margibi County on Monday, January 24, laid down their pieces of chalk and pens in demand of salary increment.
The go-slow action kickoffs just on a day students were expected to begin writing their first semester mid-term examinations.
The teachers who have embarked on an indefinite go-slow disclosed that the Booker Washington Institution (BWI) being one of Liberia’s best TVET institutions teachers’ monthly salaries are far below US$300, noting that this figure is the stipulated amount for Bsc and Msc degree holders.
They maintained that over the years and prior to the salary harmonization, workers at BWI have benefited housing allowances and insurance. But all of those benefits were cancelled and a tremendous decrease in salary that cannot meet the needs of workers at the institution was carried out.
The aggrieved BWI’s teachers in a one page communication dated January 19, 2022, addressed to the school’s workers union president said their action is being triggered by the Government of Liberia reported failure to respond to their demand for salary increment after the government salary harmonization exercise about three years ago.
“Just about this time last year on January 25, 2021, the workers of BWI through the union president wrote the Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) Samuel D. Tweh, Jr. and copied the Board of Governors and the Principal of BWI concerning request for increment in salary for all given reasons that prompted such request”, the aggrieved BWI’s teachers added.
The teachers said they had earlier on notified the Finance Minister in their last year’s communication about the low salary being earned by them (teachers) despite their full devotion to duty on a daily basic as compare to teachers of other government learning institutions below the standard of the Booker Washington Institute.
They revealed that following their demand for salary increment, the BWI’s Chief Executive Officer and Principal, Atty. Harris Fomba Tarnue, the former president of the Booker Washington Institute Workers Union, Foday K. Rogers and other concern representatives on several occasions pursued the school’s payroll for possible increment in salary, but that is yet to be actualized.
“The fact that our salaries keep declining on a monthly basic instead of increasing indicate the government unwillingness or reluctances to address our plight and if nothing is done about it until the passage of the 2022 fiscal budgets, the effort of the employees to seek increment in their salaries will become an issue. In this regard, we the workers are very displeased and write to inform you about our action to disengage from all working activities until the government can address our salaries situation” The aggrieved BWI’s teachers position statement noted.
The enraged teachers intimated that their latest go-slow action is necessary because BWI is longer an autonomous institution but under the government supervision which has now necessitated their direct engagement with the Government of Liberia.
They expressed the believed that their action to lay down chalk and pens will draw the attention of the government in harmonizing their salaries to commensurate with their respective qualifications and the length of time in service on a daily basic according to the BWI’s grade level especially as a technical vocational institution.
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