The Ministry of Labor, responsible for overseeing labor-related issues, is now under investigation for allegedly dismissing four of its employees.
By Julius Konton, Contributing Writer
Following a complaint filed by the four dismissed employees, the Civil Service Agency (CSA) invited the Labor Minister or his legal representative to a conference on July 9, 2024, to resolve the matter.
However, while the dismissed employees were fully represented, Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah did not attend. Instead, he sent Human Resource Director Mehfel Dehkpah, who signed the dismissal letters.
According to sources, the Human Resource Director, who is not a civil servant, is among fourteen senior managers at the Labor Ministry from the same ethnic group.
During the conference, Dehkpah allegedly failed to provide written findings from the investigation report that found the dismissed employees guilty. He verbally maintained that the employees were dismissed for alleged misconduct unbecoming of public servants.
When asked if he was aware that the four dismissed employees had authorization from Labor Inspector Charles Brown and Acting Deputy Minister for Planning and Manpower Development Emmanuel Barnes to carry out their work, Dehkpah confirmed this.
Dehkpah claimed that only inspectors are permitted to conduct inspections. However, a document dated June 27, 2024, addressed to Fouta Incorporated on 17th Street, contradicts this claim. The document shows that the Labor Ministry instructed three officials, including a researcher, to conduct an inspection for alleged labor malpractice at the business.
The dismissed employees argued that the inclusion of a researcher in the inspection contradicts Dehkpah’s claim that only inspectors are permitted to conduct inspections.
Additionally, Dehkpah alleged that only the Labor Minister could authorize inspections. However, a letter dated June 10, 2024, ordered an inspection under the signature of Deputy Minister for Administration Othello P. Mansuo, further contradicting Dehkpah’s statements.
The dismissed employees asserted that these inconsistencies demonstrate a lack of trust and credibility in the Labor Ministry’s management.
“We maintain that the Ministry wrongfully dismissed us and must correct this injustice. We trust the CSA and are confident we will win the case,” the dismissed employees stated.
They also called for action against alleged tribalism and nepotism within the Ministry of Labor. According to them, the Ministry has seven presidential appointees from one ethnic group and county, with an additional fourteen individuals from the same group holding senior managerial positions.
Providing evidence, they listed twenty-one individuals from one county and ethnic group occupying senior managerial positions, including Minister Cooper W. Kruah, Deputy Minister for Administration Othello Mansuo, Assistant Minister for Alien Affairs Raphael Donokolo, and others.
In light of the case, it is unclear if the former Acting Deputy Minister for Planning and Manpower Development and the Inspector General, who authorized the dismissed employees to carry out their inspection at the controversial Gbarpolu illegal mining site, will be asked by the CSA to provide their accounts.
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