Bumbuna Township and its environs came to a standstill when workers of a sub- contractor of African Minerals Limited (AML), DAWNUS, have staged another ‘uninformed protest’ for an alleged ‘non -payment’ of their ‘medicine allowances’ in their take home salaries.
The strike, according to the protesting workers, came as a result of non-payment of their medical allowances by DAWNUS Construction Company. The strike saw the barricade of all the main streets leading in and out of the town on Wednesday 21st November 2012.
In an exclusive interview with one of the striking workers of DAWNUS, Abass Kamara in Bumbuna town said before they embarked on the strike action, they had informed the construction company bosses about the non-reflection of their medical allowances. Kamara said, “nothing absolutely good in our matter was addressed and as you know, we are merely workers who don’t have any power rather than to strike,” he pointed out.
In the proactive measure to avert the striking workers, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police North-east, Suluku Conteh, and Tonkolili divisional personnel were in place to calm them down, by removing all their blockades within the township.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police however expressed his frustration over the non- functional office of the Ministry of Labour and Employment in the north, which is the largest in the country, to be without any operational Labour office.
AIG Suluku Conteh said they have on several occasions, wrote the ministry of Labour about the importance of establishing an office in that part of the country but without this they will be causing more pressure on the Police, especially when that part of the country has the largest number of employees in the country with no labour office.
The AIG told the striking workers that their decision to strike without going through the right channel was ill-advised.
He said even if they have any genuine concerns as workers, they have to ensure they write the management of DAWNUS and copy AML and the police. Therefore the action they have taken unilaterally “was very wrong because it was against the laws of the country and further warned that, if at any time, they staged any strike action without going through the due process, the law will take its cause.
During the strike action, officials of DAWNUS Construction company failed to comment on the allegations by the striking workers over the non-reflection of their medical allowances.
However efforts to reach African Minerals Limited communication officials proved futile.
By Mohamed Kabba
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