Monrovia — The Consortium of Public Sector Workers of Liberia, representing health workers, teachers, civil servants, and others, has formally petitioned the Legislature and Executive branches to review the Harmonization Policy and amend the Liberia Revenue Code.
The group contends that the current wage structure, established under previous administrations, has exacerbated economic hardship for public sector employees.
During the presentation to the Ministry of Finance and the Legislature, Moibah Johnson, President of the Civil Servants Association of Liberia, expressed concerns over the adverse effects of the Harmonization Policy on workers’ incomes. Johnson argued that the policy has deepened the financial strain on public sector employees and called for a salary increase to alleviate their burden.
Johnson also pointed to the National Enumeration and Standardization Act of 2019, which mandates equitable wages for all public sector workers, asserting that this legislation has been disregarded. “There is a clear violation of the National Enumeration and Standardization Act,” Johnson stated. “Our wages do not reflect the standard of equitable treatment as mandated by law.”
The Consortium also demanded tax reform, with Johnson noting years of tax deductions from workers’ wages without corresponding updates to Section 8 of the Liberia Revenue Code. He emphasized that these deductions were often made without sufficient justification and urged the government to provide tax incentives to ease the financial load on public sector workers.
“We don’t want to be seen like the dump truck scenario—where the trucks are essential in building the Executive Mansion, but once the work is done, they are prohibited from even using the grounds,” Johnson said. “We’re tired of suffering; our rights must be respected.”
In response, representatives from both branches of government acknowledged the Consortium’s advocacy and committed to reviewing their demands. Deputy Finance Minister for Administration Bill McGill Jones received the petition on behalf of the Executive through the Ministry of Finance, while Senator Glehbo Brown and Representative Muka Kamara accepted the document on behalf of the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively.
Discussion about this post