An unspecified number of workers of Liberia’s electoral commission have been given the boot after weeks of protest over unpaid benefits, APA learnt on Tuesday.
The New Dawn reports that the protest for salary arrears, and insurance benefits has been going on for close to one year.
According to the report, the protest came to a head between November 12 and 24 during which the disenchanted workers literally sealed off the entrance to the electoral commission building, apparently preventing its head Davidetta Browne-Lansanah from entering its premises to perform her functions.
The workers who have not been named also accused the NEC of mismanaging funds meant for its operations and demanded the establishment of an in-house committee to look into their demands.
The report quotes a letter purportedly from the NEC’s Human Resource Director, Pauline G Korkoyah confirming the dismissal of the protesters, accusing them of insubordination and obstructing its officials from performing their duties.
It claimed that the workers’ action had ”paralyzed NEC operations” and put the image of the electoral body into disrepute.
The dismissed workers have been ordered to return all NEC items to its Human Resource Section office with immediate effect.
Meanwhile NEC chairperson Browne-Lansanah has denied that the dismissed workers were owned any unpaid benefits, claiming instead that all such arrears had been paid based on the commission’s 2023 budget.
The dismissed workers have not reacted to their sacking or Mrs Browne-Lansanah’s claim.
WN/as/APA