Workers at the Sierra Leone Museum in Freetown yesterday morning temporarily shut down the entrance gate of the museum for non payments of their 11 months’ salaries.
According to the Chief Security Officer, Abubakarr Kargbo who spoke to Awoko, several efforts were made to get their salaries from the ministry of Tourism and Culture but proved futile, despite the allocation of funds by the Finance ministry to be disbursed to them.
An employee of the National Railway Museum alleged that, “the big people at the ministry are responsible for our problems as they are not doing anything towards our salaries.”
Several visitors were disappointed yesterday when they met all the entrances to the museum closed with placards that read: “we want our eleven months salary now!”
This press also contacted the Permanent Secretary at the ministry of Tourism and Culture, Lorenzo Caulker, for his comments. He noted that, “it is true that this ministry inherited backlog of workers’ salaries and subventions at the museum from the past government. But I am working hard to ensure that the ministry of Finance disburses their salaries to the museum’s account for prompt payment”.
He added that the chairman of the Monument and Relics Commission, Moniliouas Garba, recently met him at his office to discuss the huge backlog salaries inherited by the ministry and non payment of subventions since last May.
By Saidu Bah