Senate Staffers Threaten Strike Over Unpaid Benefits

Capitol Hill Liberia: Staffers at the Liberian senate stand in limbo following the closure of the legislative branch of government on January 6 without the house of elders ensuring that their staffers receive their benefits for the extra sitting.

With this situation at hand,staff association of the Liberian senate ,has expressed a deep concern over the non payment of their benefits,for the extended sitting of the third quarter of the 55th legislature.

On December 13 2024,the president of the Republic of Liberia his Excellences President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, issued a proclamation extending the first regular session of the 55th legislature,for the period of 15 days to facilitate the completion of key legislative matters, an extension which compelled staffers to continue providing their services beyond the initially stipulated time frame.

Following the completion of the 15 days extra sitting,the 55th legislature closed its session on Monday January 6,to resume on the next Monday the 13th of January 2025 leaving staffers in limbo.

The staffers association of the Senate is now calling on the leadership there at the house of the senate,to ensure the payment of this benefit is no later than January 11,2025.

The group in their release said, failure on the part of the Senate leadership to provide this benefit on the aforementioned deadline,the services of staffers will be withheld causing disruption to the opening of the Senate on January 13,2025.

Observing the economic constraint that citizens go through on a daily basis,the prevention of these staffers from getting their benefits, might lead to starvation and strive among these workers.

But in reaction to claims made by agrrived staffers of the Liberian senate the Liberian Senate under the Leadership of the President Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence has expressed dismay over allegation from the Staffers Leadership that the Senate has refused to pay benefits for the just ended extra sitting.

A release quotes the Senate as saying that the Staffers had previously met with the Senate Committee Chairman on Rules, Order and Administration, Senator J. Gbleh-bo Brown and was informed that the Senate approved extra sitting for all staff in the 2025 budget.
 
As such the Senate notes that it is unfortunate that the staff leadership which was informed about the allocation of the fees in the 2025 budget will result to public outcry, knowing fully well that the Senate has always made payment for extra sitting since the coming of the new leadership.
 
In spite of the outcry, the Senate assured staffers that payment for the just concluded extra sitting will be made during the execution of the 2025 budget.
 
The Senate at the same time described as unfair to the august body that  staffers will have to put such matter in the public when the leadership of the staff has a good working relationship with  the Senate’s leadership and has met most of their needs under the  leadership of Pro Temp Lawrence.

The Senate notes that  some of the cardinal  issues to include transportation, adequate water supplies, payments of extra sitting, as well as training of staffers of the Senate amongst others have been addressed in the shortest time, with more to be done this year.