“Liberia’s Workers Welfare Is Our Priority” -Min. Kruah Assures By: Fiona Benson Kollie
The labor sector which accordingly is one of the key assets to nation building, has over the years been the other way around for Liberia; since the end of the Liberian civil war, where most Liberians from both the private and public sectors are usually being complaining of bad labor practice, low salaries among other suppressive acts. However, the Liberia’s labor sector seems to likely be taking a different dimension under the Unity Party lead government. Upon this backdrop, the Minister of Labor, Cllr. Cooper Kruah, has reassured that Liberia’s workers welfare is one of his key top priorities. Speaking over the weekend when he was honored by a group under the banner- the Parliamentary Journalists Network of West Africa (PAJONWA) as Most Up Standing Minister of the year, he reemphasized his commitment to ensuring that Liberian workers, both in the private and public sectors will get their just benefits they deserve. He noted that his appointment at the Labor Ministry was never a mistake but intone that, as head of the country labor sector, he has decided to institute new measure to ensure that Liberian workers be giving first preferences, and their lives should also be improved through their earnings, revealing that it is one of the key priorities of the ARREST Agenda. Cllr. Kruah further indicated that the Ministry of Labor is currently working along with the Ministry of Finance, Development and Planning on reviewing the minimum wage bill to further improve the livelihood of the ordinary people across the country.
Moving forward, the Labor Minister told the gathering that making Liberia a middle class nation is key to President Boakai ; as such, as head of the Labor Ministry, he has also instituted measures pertaining to work permit, maintaining that no unskilled job will be given to non-Liberians because Liberia has qualified people who should be given first performance. He commended the group for the recognition and promised to continue to work in the interest of the country. Also speaking was the head of the group, Ronald George, who said the selection of Minister Cooper Kruah was due to his continual contributions to the labor sector since his appointment as minister.
He added that the Parliamentary Journalists Network of West Africa is a group of investigative journalists that is going about investigating the works of public officials, contributors to the private sector, among others, who accordingly are contributing to the growth and development of the country. Mr. George maintained that since the appointment of Cllr Kruah, his organization has over the time observe some level of transformation at the ministry which made the group to select him as the ‘Outstanding Minister of the Year.’ For his part, an executive of the group, Calcious Weatoe, gave the background of the group, disclosing that the ‘Parliamentary Journalists Network of West Africa(PAJONWA)’ is a Media Advocacy Organization was established on October 15, 2022 whose membership is made up of active practicing investigative journalists who are reporting from various parliaments of the thirteen (13) ECOWAS Countries. He added that currently, the organization has a membership of seventy-six (76) members from parliaments in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, and The Gambia, and as an organization, the ‘Parliamentary Journalists Network of West Africa (PAJONWA)’ closely follows and investigates the works of the following Public Entities and individuals: A. Members of Parliaments B. The Ministries of Education, Health, Labour, Agriculture, Gender, Children, and Social Protection, and Internal Affairs. Moreover, he said the works of Members of Parliament and Heads of the named seven Public Entities are keenly followed because their job is directly involved with the lives of the citizens from the ECOWAS region.
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