By Ragan M. Conteh
Two Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the Native Research Center (NRC) headed by Edmond Abu Jr. and Citizens Right Network Sierra Leone (CRN-SL) headed by Bai Koroma have filed a law suit against Kings Production commonly called Mega Cola company.
The law suit filed against the company comes following the company’s failure to pay 5% increment for overtime end of benefit for 98 staff members of the company who were allegedly forcefully made redundant by the company.
The CSOs also alleged that the company would be paying a total amount of over Le1.9 billion to the 98 redundant staff. They are also in the process of filing another law suit against the same company for its failure to honour government policy of paying the 10% National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NaSSIT) contribution for its workers thereby violating the Trust’s compliance rule.
It could be recalled that recently, the heads of the two CSOs held several news conferences alerting journalists on the alleged clandestine activities of the company and how it has tampered with the human rights of 98 Sierra Leonean workers who were supposed to receive their end of service benefits from the company.
The Executive Director of CRN Sierra Leone, Bai Koroma told nightwatch that the company was working in contravention of the provision of the Labour Laws and the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone that clearly prescribe what every company investing in the country should do.
Currently, according to Director Koroma, these marginalized and deprived Sierra Leoneans, who have served the Mega Cola Company judiciously over the years, have lost their family morale because of the manner in which they were made redundant.
“I do pity my brothers and sisters because the way the company has treated them is very heartrending and this is a grave concern for us as civil society working in the best interest of all and sundry,” Director Koroma averred