The Information Officer at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Lansana Bayoh Sesay has said that the budget allocated to the ministry is not enough to undertake all its activities.
He made this statement following the Presidents performance assessment rating of government ministries and departments and agencies, which was delivered last Thursday at the Bank of Sierra Leone Complex in Freetown. According to the assessment list, the said ministry was rated among those with poor performance.
Speaking to this Awoko reporter on Tuesday at their office on New England Ville in Freetown, the Information officer said, though he cannot tell the yardstick which the government uses to do the rating, he wanted the public to take note of the activities of the ministry in the previous year.
He explained that apart from providing services to employees and employers, they have been generating revenue for the government as well.
“Last year the ministry was able to generate over five billion Leones (Le.5, 000,000,000.00), and as I am talking now, we have generated close to four billion Leones or more, since January to now”. This money he said comes from work permits and factory inspections.
He went on to say that the ministry has been embarking on a nationwide sensitization in order to sensitize the public on particularly business institutions on labour laws in the country. “Intervention in industrial matters; establishment of national employment policy in May this year; and the minimum wage of five hundred thousand Leones for workers below supervisory level”, he stated, “are all part of the activities the ministry has undertaken so far.”
The information officer noted that despite these activities, the amount of money the government allocates to them is far less than what they need to be doing their work.
He thanked God for GIZ, one of their partners who donated used vehicles to the ministry which they are now using to do their nationwide sensitization.
Thursday August 11, 2016