The Minister of Labor, Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, has assured the International Labour Organization (ILO) that the Government of Liberia(GoL) is committed to adhering to the Freedom of Association and the harmonization of the two labor laws, but technical assistance is needed from the ILO in this regard.
Minister Kruah said the government, through the Ministry of Labor, has granted the civil servants the right to form an association while encouraging all private sector workers, including health workers and teachers, to form or join unions.
Minister Kruah said after a series of consultations, it was realized that not all public workers are civil servants, such as health workers and teachers. He said that, unlike in the past, when health workers were not allowed to form a union, those working in the private sector are now granted the right to unionize.
“The fact that there are some restrictions on the Civil Service Standing Orders means the government has not ruled out the possibility of harmonizing the two laws (the Decent Work Act and the Civil Service Standing Orders) that deal with workers in Liberia.” “We asked at the last ILO meeting for technical support in helping us to harmonize these laws. We still want to restate that it is important to ensure that our system conforms to International Labour Standards as a member state.”
Minister Kruah further informed the ILO Mission that these laws were enacted by the National Legislature; as such, the Ministry of Labor cannot move on its own to have them harmonized without the involvement of that body.
The Liberia Labor Minister was speaking when the Regional Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for English-speaking West African States, Madam Vanessa Phala, ahead of the ILO Technical Advisory Mission of three members, met with officials of the Ministry of Labor during the week.
The meeting was geared towards supporting the Government of Liberia to develop a roadmap for implementing and reporting on International Labour Standards (ILS) while harmonizing the two labor laws of the country (the Decent Work Act and the Civil Service Standing Orders).
Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr., welcomed the ILO Mission and informed them about efforts the government is making to ensure full implementation of ILO Convention #87.
In response, Regional Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for English-speaking West African States, Madam Vanessa Phala, said the objective of the mission visit to Liberia was to follow up on the conclusion of the recommendation of the Committee of Experts on Application of the ILO. The committee made up a tripartite committee of workers, employers, and government.
She said in September 2023, the committee made several recommendations to the government of Liberia on the applications of ILO Conventions #87 (Freedom of Association) and #98 (the Right to Collective Bargaining).
Dr. Phala ILO Direct Contact Mission aims to facilitate dialogue and provide technical support to help a country address issues related to the application of international labor standards.
She hailed the Minister of Labor for creating the platform for dialogue and for implementing the recommendation as well as facilitating the coming together of the partners in Liberia to develop a roadmap that will begin the implementation of the application of standards.
She, however, noted that this is going to be a prolonged process that will require continued engagement and dialogue, and the International Labour Organization stands ready to provide support to address the conclusion and begin to allow the ILO to support member states (Liberia) in government development priorities, which is the “ARREST Agenda,” which articulates what the government needs.
She said that the ILO is also committed to making a meaningful contribution towards the implementation of Government of Liberia development agenda and expressed happiness over the over of cooperation among the workers, employers and the Ministry of Labour.
She also pledged ILO’s continued support to the Ministry of Labour in achieving its agenda for the labour sector of Liberia and the preparation of its response ahead of the upcoming ILO conference in June.
The ILO Regional Director is at the sometime stressing the need for the protection and rights in Liberia by allowing workers in all sector the union.
