By Musa Paul Feika
The Maritime Union Secretary General, Frederick Koroma, has disclosed to this medium that Port Authority, which is in charge of Queen Elizabeth II Quay, has been engaged in the habit of partially allocating consignments (shipments) to the two pre existing labor companies that have been in full operations for the past five to ten years. This is before the Sierra Leone People`s Party (SLPP) or Poapa Government took up office.
The Maritime Secretary General made this disclosure to Nightwatch sometimes in February 2021, at Leone Dock Labour Company’s head office, opposite the Ross Road Magistrate Court in Freetown.
According to Mr. Koroma, the Sierra Leone People`s Party (SLPP) administration, in order to gratify and please their strong supporters, introduced two labour companies, which are Urban Stevedore and 3 Jass Labour.
This, Mr. Koroma said, has led to partially allocate shipments to the Leone Dock Labour and 3 Jass Labour Companies. To make the situation worse, Leone Dock Labour Company has been labeled by Port Authority as the All People`s Congress (APC) Party company.
Mr. Koroma furthered that, the partial allocation of shipments to these companies, by Port Authority, is bringing untold suffering and more hardship for their union workers. This investigation came about as a result of the protracted and delayed payment of Leone Dock Labour Company workers, who are desperately in need of their salaries.
He noted that Leone Dock Labour Company Limited is the best labour company at Port Authority, and that it has always been paying its workers on time. He further disclosed that, since the inception of the two labour companies by the Paopa administration, it has always been tedious for the pre-existing companies to get shipment because Part Authority is in charge of allocation of shipments to the four labour companies.