Members of the National Health Workers Union of Liberia (NAHWUL) called for a two-week strike further to the government’s refusal to honour the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with NAHWUL. Furthermore, the government has ignored NAHWUL’s call for hazard pay for all health workers, benefits for worker-victims of COVID-19, supplies of PPE, and medications at all public health facilities.
Paramount in the MOU are the certification of NAHWUL within 60 days of the signing of the MOU and inclusion of the union in social dialogue on all matters affecting the workforce, including a discussion on a salary increment for health workers in 2020/2021.
During the negotiations culminating in the two-week strike, the government neither acceded to these outstanding agreements, nor did it find any durable solutions to the issues tabled before it by the union leadership. Instead, the president of Liberia addressed the trade union delegation and threatened their lives, including threats of arrests of the union leadership and termination of the services of striking workers.
