NATIONAL NEWS
MONROVIA – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has expressed serious concern over a violent confrontation between aggrieved workers and officers of the Liberia National Police at the ArcelorMittal concession area in Yekepa, Nimba County.
In a statement, CENTAL Executive Director Anderson Miamen described the incident as alarming and called for a thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances that led to the violence.
Reports indicate that a protest by workers of AFCONS, a subcontractor of ArcelorMittal Liberia, escalated into violence, resulting in multiple injuries, the reported disarming of a police officer, and the arrest of 27 protesters.
By: Kabina S. Kabah kabinaskabah98@gmail.com
Video footage circulating on social media shows workers making several allegations against the company, the Ministry of Labor, and officers of the Liberia National Police.
Among the accusations are claims of contaminated water being supplied to workers, failure to honor agreed incentives, and the alleged use of tear gas and live ammunition to disperse protesters.
The workers also criticized Assistant Labor Minister for Standards Emmanuel Zorh, accusing him of bias in handling the dispute.
According to media reports, a recent statement from the Ministry of Labor described the strike action as unlawful and warned that employees who fail to return to work risk losing their jobs, arguing that the workers’ demands are not reflected in their employment contracts or in Liberia’s Decent Work Act.
Miamen warned that such developments risk undermining public confidence in both corporate and government institutions. He stressed that the reported actions weaken accountability and called for an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the incident.
He said such an inquiry should examine the root causes of the workers’ grievances, the conduct of law enforcement, and broader labor relations practices within concession areas.
CENTAL noted that the Yekepa incident highlights ongoing governance challenges in Liberia’s extractive sector.
The organization emphasized that concession agreements must not only generate economic benefits but also safeguard the rights and dignity of workers and affected communities.
Reaffirming its commitment to working with government, civil society, and private sector actors, CENTAL said a credible investigation followed by concrete reforms would demonstrate Liberia’s commitment to justice, fairness, and responsible corporate governance.
