Providing security and assurance for Sierra Leonean workers both at home and abroad, Members of Parliament yesterday 17th January 2019 ratified five Conventions geared towards the protection of people working in and out of the country for greener pastures. The ratified Conventions include Convention 97-Migration for employment Convention (revised) 1949, Convention 143- Migrant workers (supplementary provisions) 1975, Convention 155-Occupational Safety and Health, 1981, Convention 187-Promotional framework for occupational Safety and Health recommendation, 2006 and Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 respectively.
According to the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security, Lansana Mohamed Dumbuya said if these documents are ratified, it will help protect workers in and out of the country and to also meet International Labour Organization standards. Presenting the Conventions he said the ratification and domestication of the conventions is very important, as it will bring the issues of abuse against workers to an end.m “There are people working in the telecommunication sectors that encounter series of problems and we as a Ministry are not capacitated enough to handle their issues’” he said, maintaining that these Conventions will help protect them. He disclosed that before now the Ministry’s budget allocation was 0.5% but in the 2019 budget it has been reduced to 0.3, which greatly affects their plans and operation, adding they lack vehicles and also operating with limited staff strength across the country. In his contributions, the Deputy Chairman of Labour Committee in Parliament, Honourable Kusan Sesay (APC) Constituency 045 Koinadugu district said the Conventions are not controversial and will help alleviate the struggling and suffering of workers. He called on his colleagues to ratify the Conventions as it will protect Sierra Leoneans working in Kuwait and other countries where they are facing maltreatment. According to him many employers do not provide protective gears for their workers, which sometimes result to danger during the operations and sometimes lead to death but with these Conventions, it will enable them to be over protective of their workers. Representing the National Grand Coalition in the debate, Hon. Foday Mario Kamara Constituency 057 Kambia district said the conventions will bind Sierra Leone and other countries, where most Sierra Leoneans go without proper documentations, but with these Conventions ratified and domesticated such problems will be things of the past. Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara (APC) Constituency 059 Kambia district, said the Ministry of Labour should pay key attention at the level of illegal employment done in and out of the country that mostly leads to loss of lives and serious suffering. According to him most of the agencies that are responsible for overseas employment are mostly contracted through social media as both the local and international employers do not know each other and when issues arise there is no one to hold responsible. “The Ministry should make sure to investigate these agencies thoroughly before certifying them to do the transaction or correspondence,” he said, maintaining the safety and health of workers should be looked into, as most of the people working in the hospitals are not protected including workers at the hospitals. “We are urging you to not only create means of which jobs will be given to our locals but also protect them,” he said. Hon. Sahr Charles (C4C) Constituency 028 Kono district, said the ratification will not be a problem but rather its enforcement which should be looked into properly to ensure workers safety, disclosing that certain workers at OCTEA Mining Company have lost their lives and nothing tangible is reported. He urged that the Ministry of Labour intensify its monitoring process in domesticating Conventions, maintaining they want to see the penalties slated in the conventions are implemented to the letter.
Hon. Hassan Abdoul Sesay (APC) Constituency 050 Tonkolili district, maintained some people travel for greener pastures without the knowledge of the government and sometimes, the workers themselves do not know the type of work or employer they would be having but with these conventions, it will help dignify their jobs. Without any opposing views on the issue, Members of Parliament unanimously ratified the 5 Conventions to enable the Ministry do its work effectively and also provide safety for local and overseas Sierra Leonean workers.
By Alhaji Manika Kamara
Friday January 18, 2019.