Published: August 16, 2024
MONROVIA — The Liberian Senate Staff Association has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Leadership of the Liberian Senate, demanding the payment of their July 2024 salaries or they will take unspecified actions.
The association accused the national government of failing to pay Senate Central Administration staffers, whose salaries are managed by Guaranty Trust Bank for the month of July 2024.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, August 15, 2024, the association highlighted their previous engagement with the Chair of the Senate’s Rules, Order, and Administration Committee, Maryland County Senator J. Gbleh-bo Brown. They noted that the senator attributed the delay to the ongoing headcount exercise being conducted by the Civil Service Agency (CSA) at the House of Representatives, as the payroll for both the House and Senate is combined.
“Against this backdrop, the Senate Staff Association calls upon the Senate’s Leadership, through the Chairman on Rules, Order, and Administration, to urge the Civil Service Agency to separate the Senate payroll from that of the House of Representatives,” the statement read.
The association emphasized that their call is intended to prevent Senate staffers from suffering due to any actions taken by the CSA at the House of Representatives.
They disclosed that during recent engagements with Senator Brown, they were informed that Senate staffers’ salaries have been separated from those of House employees. However, they alleged that the House of Representatives’ leadership has reportedly threatened the bank with contempt if it proceeds with paying the July salaries of Senate staffers.
“The Senate Staff Association wishes to emphatically state that the CSA’s headcount at the Liberian Senate was completed more than two months ago, and any ongoing exercise at the House should not delay the payment of Senate staffers’ salaries,” the association stressed.
They further argued that the alleged threat of contempt by the House is baseless, asserting that the real issue of contempt would be the bank’s failure to disburse the salaries of Senate employees for July.
The association warned that this situation could undermine the functioning of the Senate. “We therefore call on the Leadership of the Liberian Senate to swiftly intervene and resolve this issue so that Senate staffers can receive their rightful salaries for July 2024.”
They also cautioned that if no timely intervention is made, the crisis could extend to August salaries and beyond, with no indication of when it might be resolved.
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