By Mabinty M. Kamara
Staff at the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau (SLSB) went on strike on Tuesday, demanding an improvement in their conditions of service.
The angry staff locked out the senior management team of the Bureau, including its Executive Director, whiles displaying placards in front of the gate with inscriptions like “Improve our condition of service” and “Risk Hazards for staff”.
Mariatu Turay, a Product Certification officer, was one of the aggrieved workers who were protesting. She told Politico that their actions were not only because of the condition of service, but also for the lack of tools and equipment they needed to do their job efficiently. She noted that their conditions of service and the lack of the necessary tools to do their work left them vulnerable and inefficient.
“We work in labs and go out on the streets to inspect products without any risk allowance or whatsoever. So, tell me, if somebody gives me money that is more attractive than my salary in order to compromise quality, won’t I take it? I will take it,” she said.
Turay added: “That is why we are calling on the government and the administration to look into our concerns and resolve the situation so that we can diligently execute our duties without compromise.”
A laboratory technician, Abass Kamara, said the nature of his work exposes him directly to health hazards and he didn’t think it’s good to be working under such condition with the kind of remuneration he gets.
“We have very dangerous chemicals that we inhale in the lab and this petroleum product has carcinogen. If I remain in this job as it is now without adequate protective gears, for over ten years, my fertility will be affected and I’m doing that kind of job with a meagre salary,” he said.
The strike action could further complicate an already difficult fuel crisis in the country. Politico understands that there were consignments of fuel waiting at the port to be inspected and cleared by the Bureau, while the staff went on strike.
SLSB’s Executive Director, Professor Thomas Yormah, told Politico that the concerns of the striking staff were genuine but that he expected them to be patient as he had already channeled their concerns a year ago to the appropriate authorities.
“Their concerns are largely genuine, but I take a dim view of them having barricaded the doors and prevented people from coming in and out. I highlighted poor conditions of service in a letter a year ago, the dearth of the tools of trade - they are all either not available or in a very poor shape. These are issues, but I think they should learn to be patient because it will take time for us to get the result at the end of the day,” he explained.
Yormah said the Ministry of Trade and Industry was prepared to listen to their concerns.
Addressing the striking staff, Amadu J. Bah, Deputy Director of the Bureau, said the Minister of Trade had already demanded that three of the aggrieved staff represented their colleagues in a joint committee meeting to negotiate their concerns later in the day.
A press release issued by the Bureau late Tuesday evening said the staff were expected to resume work today [Wednesday] after an agreement with the Ministry of Trade with regards their conditions of work, including safety gears for field officers and laboratory workers.
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