The Government of Liberia, through the Civil Service Agency, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning says it’s attention has been drawn to the Monday, July 19 headline and news story of the Front Page Africa Newspaper, which states “30 MONTHS NO PAY.”
According to the above ministries, the paper said that during COVID-19 health workers in Margibi County shut down the CH Rennie Hospital in protest for over two years of salary arrears.
In a joint statement, the CSA, MOH and MFDP said they want to categorically state and clarify that the Government of Liberia does not owe health workers and monthly salary payments are current for all government employees in every sector.
They stated that those protesting at the CH Rennie hospital are not full employees of the government, stating that they are mostly non-clinical volunteer workers who are usually paid from internally generated resources of their health facilities.
They went on to say that these volunteers are usually absorbed and get fully employed through the Government of Liberia direct job replacement policy and strategy once vacancies are created in their facilities and other entities of government.
At the same time, the release noted that as part of its engagement with the Consortium of Public Sector Workers, the Government of Liberia, through the Civil Service Agency, is currently reviewing and restructuring the volunteering policy across the health and education sectors and wants to encourage and reassure the volunteers that permanent employment and subsequent placement on the GoL payroll will be prioritized during the upcoming recruitment from the volunteer pool.
They also reminded the protesters that it is through constructive engagements, not protests, that these policy changes and developments are obtained.
Meanwhile the Government of Liberia has informed the public, including civil servants, that salary disbursements for the month of July 2021 are currently ongoing in preparation for the July 26 Independence Day Celebration.
