“…Workers’ rights to employment and job security in the civil and public service workforce are becoming increasingly affected by the politics of employment compensation and the increasing national political divisions.”
The quoted statement is an excerpt of a June-5, 2020 publication by the US-based Africanist Press, a global media institution that has demonstrated unwavering interest in investigating abuse of workers’ rights in Sierra Leone.
The excerpt succinctly refers to allegation of trading in foreign currencies within the premises of the Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL) levied against two former employees of the said bank.
The case of the two employees has spanned the administrations of two BSL governors: Patrick Saidu Conteh and Professor Kelfallah Kallon, erstwhile and current governors respectively.
The two employees, Yayah H.G. Kamara and Komba Gbolie have been laid off although no sufficient evidence exists to prove their guilt.
No doubt, a strong nexus exists between the abuse of employment rights of workers and the endemic and abject poverty confronting Sierra Leone in such a trying time.
The global media institution, Africanist Press has been paying close attention to the manner in which civil and public servants in Sierra Leone have been intimidated and sacked from their offices.
The publication delved into complaints of workplace harassment and administrative injustices ranging from unjustified sackings, bureaucratic persecution and arrests owing to rumoured or perceived support of opposition political groups.
The Africanist Press publication also laid emphasis on selective and politically motivated anti-corruption crackdowns.
The Anti-Corruption Commission, the publication says, offers false appearance of anti-graft campaigns to mask the mischievous use of the law to remove perceived supporters of opposition parties.
In an attempt to showcase how human rights abuse in Sierra Leone has caused abject poverty, this article adopts the unlawful dismissal of the two BSL employees as a prominent case study.
However, the plight of other employees in the civil and public service who have suffered similar injustice would be brought to the fore.
The Africanist Press Publication further claims that Kamara and Gbolie’s records indicate that they were diligent, disciplined and obedient workers.
Now, they no longer serve the bank as the cruel sledge hammer has been made to descend on them without any justification.
The two employees were not only sacked from the bank but also were placed behind bars for a considerable period.
The Africanist Press publication also indicates that no benefit has been paid to them.
No gainsaying that the families of the two employees have been impoverished and now wallow in poverty.
Evidence also showed that BSL has refused to reinstate the two employees although they have faced a number of investigations from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Sierra Leone Police, Financial intelligence Unit, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights where their names have been cleared.
The two employees, the Africanist Press investigations reveal, have no case to answer but have been requested to lay down tools and their families are today wailing in the dark.
The BSL sackings are an epitome of other politically-motivated dismissals in ministries, departments and agencies of government since the ‘New Direction’ administration took over state governance almost three years ago.
The coming to power of the ‘New Direction’ Government signalled a ray of hope for national cohesion and unity in many Sierra Leoneans owing to their campaign messages.
But, the hope was dashed as dozens of workers perceived as APC loyalists were thrown out of their jobs without payment of any benefit or ex-gratia.
Workers at the National Telecommunications Commission were kicked out of their offices without payment of any benefit
Statistics Sierra Leone was said to have recorded the highest number of staff dismissed from their posts also without payment.
Office of Diaspora Affairs (ODA), an institution that identifies and brings Diasporan talents into the country, was closed down and the workers there thrown out of work without payment of their ex-gratia.
Government hid in the cloak of functions and management review to shut down ODA without just cause and the staff there rendered jobless.
To date, the government pretends that it is still conducting management review while ODA is now a white elephant.
Quite recently, the heads of ten staff at the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration rolled and faced ACC investigations. Other heads are sure to roll in the not-too-distant future.
In another showcase of unlawful dismissals, very senior police officers including the Deputy Inspector-General of Police were forced to retire by government.
They were forced to go at a time the country needs them, and government provides no reason for their forceful retirement.
The retired senior officers were better off as do not face ACC investigations.
No hope exists for those workers who face ACC investigations to come back to their posts even if cleared.
The main argument common among public domain is that the ACC is now used as a tool of terror against civil and public servants perceived to be sympathisers of opposition parties especially the main opposition.
The ACC, over the years, have been used to remove diligent and honest civil servants perceived as sympathisers of the opposition from their posts.
Those civil servants who manage to serve the country are apprehensive and jittery as they cannot predict when the sledge hammer would descend on them.
Little wonder that provision of essential services to the people of Sierra Leone is at an all-time low as intimidation have rendered them less performing.
Considering the huge number of dismissed civil and public servants, it is safe to say over a thousand families have been thrown out.
Labour Congress, an umbrella interested-based organisation for the protection of workers’ rights seemed helpless towards the plight of sacked workers.
Gauging the blatant abuse of employment rights, a situation of endemic and abject poverty cannot be successfully ruled out.
The Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991 whose provisions government is bound to protect frowns at discrimination of citizens on the basis of tribe, creed, and political affiliation.
The constitution, the supreme law of the state, urges government to manage the economy well so that the maximum welfare and freedom of every citizen can be secured on the basis of social justice and equality.
It also protects the right of any citizen to engage in any economic activity without prejudice to the rights of any other person to participate in the areas of the economy.
Looking at the side note of section 8(1) of same, the supreme law, compels government to ensure that any citizen has equality of rights, obligations and opportunities.
The state must also ensure that every citizen has equal right and access to all opportunities and benefits based on merit.
Besides, Sierra Leone is a signatory and ratifier of a number of Declarations, treaties and conventions that protect the rights of workers.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966 are few that deserve a particular mention.
The preambles and succeeding articles of the declaration and conventions preach equality of races and tribes.
Article-1 of UDHR says all human beings are born Free and equal in status. They must be allowed to have their own thought and ideas and must be treated the same way.
Article-22 of UDHR also calls on government to help every person develop their best ability through access to work.
Several provisions and articles in the aforementioned conventions and the Constitution of Sierra Leone support the right to work and fair salary but all cannot be explored here.
Against this backdrop, it could be argued that the main method of eradicating poverty in from Sierra Leone is to recognise and protect human rights and freedoms of the individual especially the right to work.