Published: July 2, 2026
MONROVIA — The University of Liberia Staff Association has given the university administration until July 31 to resolve a set of long-standing welfare grievances, including salary disparities, unstable medical insurance and unremitted social security contributions, or face a staff walkout.
The ultimatum is contained in a resolution the association’s General Assembly adopted unanimously on June 26 at the Fendall Campus Administrative Complex Theater, after members meeting in full quorum reviewed issues that have gone unresolved since December 2021.
The resolution notes that formal negotiations between ULSA and the administration began more than four and a half years ago and that the outstanding issues remain substantially unresolved. It quotes University of Liberia President Prof. Dr. Layli Maparyan telling staff on August 29, 2025, that the conversations had been productive but not satisfying, and that talks would not end until staff were satisfied.
Salary standardization tops the list of demands. The resolution calls on the administration to harmonize the salary structure across all staff categories, prioritize adjustments for the lowest paid employees, and ensure that pay reflects credentials, education and experience. It sets a deadline of no later than July 2026 for full implementation.
The association also demanded full participation in finalizing the university’s Human Resource Manual, which it said in previous drafts disproportionately favored the administration and did not adequately incorporate recommendations submitted by ULSA and the University of Liberia Faculty Association. The resolution calls for provisions protecting staff against unjustified suspensions, dismissals and unfair treatment by supervisors, with adoption due by July 2026.
On transportation, the association asked for a reliable and affordable bus system across all campuses, particularly Fendall and Capitol Hill, with proper maintenance schedules and air conditioned buses matching the standard recently introduced on the Straz Sinje route.
The resolution addresses medical insurance at length, calling for insurance premiums to be the first statutory deduction from the government subsidy allocated to the university before any discretionary spending, and for the administration to settle all arrears owed to ACTIVA Insurance, including four months of contributions the resolution says were deducted from staff pay but never remitted, leading to a suspension of services.
On new attendance procedures introduced by the Human Resource office, the association said the policies must be suspended effective June 26 pending formal consultation, with any new system piloted in a single department before university wide rollout. The resolution also mandates immediate reimbursement of staff salaries the association says were wrongfully deducted in June under the new procedures, and calls for attendance monitoring to be decentralized to department heads working with the HR office.
On the National Social Security Corporation, the resolution demands timely remittance of all staff contributions going forward, a halt to pending retirement processes until the HR Manual is finalized and NASSCORP arrears are resolved, and full implementation of a tripartite agreement among the Government of Liberia, the university and NASSCORP intended to cover the university’s outstanding debt.
The resolution grants the administration until July 31 to implement all provisions. It authorizes ULSA leadership to call industrial action, including staff disengagement from administrative and related university activities, if the deadline is not met, and separately authorizes the leadership to engage the media to inform the public of the association’s position.
The document closes by reaffirming the association’s commitment to constructive dialogue and collaborative problem solving, and states that staff welfare is central to the university’s effective functioning and its ambition of becoming a world class institution.
The resolution was signed by ULSA President Dee Preston and ULSA Secretary General E. Martin Weah, and attested by executive committee member James H. Adams II and a General Assembly committee member.
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