The deputy Education Minister, Dr Lansana Nyallay, has requested intermediate and junior workers of the University of Sierra Leone to exercise patience as a committee comprising the ministers of Education, Finance and Labour is expected to meet soon to address their grievances.
He attested to the fact that a committee had been formed to look into grievances of workers at Fourah Bay College , IPAM and College of Medicine but explained that the committee did not meet at the appointed time because representatives from the various institutions never turned up.
He said the 40% salary increment and the Le 34,000 backlogs were all legacies inherited from the past political administration which had accumulated since 2003 to date, adding that such a political transformation was in line with true democracy and had nothing to do with rights to employment and favourable condition of service.
He also recalled that government inherited the Youth Employment Scheme, with nearly Le 84 million backlog salaries owed workers in the 12 districts and Freetown, but that with frantic efforts of President Koroma and the Education minister Dr Minkailu Bah those arrears were forestalled.
Chairman of the demonstrators, Rev. Walker, was quoted to have said that their patience was running out as the issue had dragged on for long without any resolution.
He said another date had been slated for the committee to meet but was very much pessimistic about the outcome of that meeting.
Thomas Cole, another aggrieved worker of the College of Medicine, revealed that they were tricked by government’s 40% increment in 2003, because it had never reflected in their salaries to date.
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