6 US Per Day Decent Work Bill Finally Passed The Plenary of the Liberian Senate yesterday brought smiles on the faces of workers across the country when majority members of that body overwhelmingly voted and passed into law the much talk about ‘Decent Work Bill’ after staying four years at the National Legislature. The Senators passed the draft instrument at 75 cent per hour amounting to 6.00 United States Dollars per day. This means that the least pay for a worker will now be 6.00 United States Dollars per day. Under the arrangement, employers are now obligatory to pay their employees six United States Dollars a day and 180 United States Dollars per month as the least pay. The Liberian Senate most often referred to as the House of Elders took the decision during its Tuesday Session following recommendation from its Labour Committee. The bill has been at the Capitol Building, the seat of the National Legislature for years. It was introduced during the seating of 52nd Legislature by former Grand Bassa County Senator, Nathaniel Innis, Senator Joseph Nagbe of Sinoe County, the Liberian Labor Congress, among others. Last year, the Lower House passed the draft bill into law, but regrettably failed to approve a minimum wage for workers in the country, and was sent to the Liberian Senate for Concurrence. On immensurable occasions, the Liberian Senate failed to concur with the House of Representatives owing to disagreements that have been marred with serious hullabaloo. The bill is expected to be sent to President Sirleaf in a couple of days for her signature, and when that happens, political commentators say it will bring big relief to workers in the country. They however expressed delight over the passage of the Decent Work Bill into law by both houses of the National Legislature. Some Liberians who are in strong opposition to the passage of the bill into law argued that post conflict Liberian economy lacks the potency to operate within the drive of creating a minimum wage bracket for workers in the country at 6.00 United States Dollars a day. Pundits are however of the belief that the situation will be greeted with serious nightmare from the endpoints of vast majority of employers who are used to paying their employees peanuts as meager salary. An Economics instructor at the nation’s highest institution of learning told this paper that post conflict Liberia labor sector is heading for big trouble with the setting of this threshold. The university professor argued that majority of employers in Liberia lack the revenue base to live by this 6.00 United States Dollars a day threshold, and accordingly will resort to downsizing Liberians within their employ and called on President Sirleaf not to affix her signature as doing so is a direct recipe of creating explosive conflict that will eventually plunge the country’s economy into grave muddle.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 14:42:35 +0000