By Domingo Dargbeh
A labour advocate George S. Tengbeh, has drafted a policy reform document to amend Chapter 16, Section 16 of the 2015 Decent Work Act.
The Act governs the private sector minimum wage, but Tengbeh’s push has sparked renewed debate on wage justice and labor reforms.
Tengbeh is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Liberia Labour and Governance Alliance.
He said the decision to draft and circulate the Proposed Wage Reform and Decent Work (Amendment) Bill of 2025, comes at a time when the issue of fair wages has re-emerged as a topic of national concern.
Tengbeh’s initiative seeks to correct long-standing structural gaps in the wage system that for decades, have left several private sector employees vulnerable.
In an interview over the weekend, Tengbeh described the current framework of the Decent Work Act’s minimum wage section as “symbolic rather than functional.”
He cited the law in its current form fails to establish the institutional, and structural mechanisms needed to ensure compliance, enforcement and periodic wage review.
“We can no longer continue to have a law that sounds good on paper, but fails to work for the people it was created to protect.”
Mr. Tengbeh added: “Section 16 of the Decent Work Act lacks the backbone that ensures wage fairness, compliance, and sustainability. This is why we are proposing a reform that goes beyond mere numbers; one that strengthens the system.”
A Response to a flawed Legislative Proposal Tengbeh’s reform effort comes in response to a bill recently introduced
by Montserrado County District #3 Representative, Sumo K. Mulbah.
The Proposal is seeking to raise the national minimum wage.
While acknowledging the lawmaker’s effort as a positive step to address poverty and inequality, Tengbeh openly criticized the bill for lacking “a structural and institutional reform strategy.”
He told reporter that raising the minimum wage without reforming the system that monitors, reviews, and enforces such standards, would only lead to short-term political applause, but fail to produce lasting results.
“Mulbah’s intention is commendable, but his Bill lacks the institutional structures, such as a national wage commission, a compliance and inspection unit, and an independent review mechanism that make wage reform sustainable. The country problem is not only the low wage; it is the absence of a credible wage governance framework.”
Tengbeh’s analysis has drawn attention from across policy, and labour spectrum, with many observers describing his move as “a patriotic and technically sound intervention” that challenges the tendency of political quick fixes in the governance system.