An Awoko investigation has revealed that labourers building Wilkinson Road are receiving as little as Le 5,000 per day, despite a collective agreement that sets the minimum wage at more than Le 8,000 for the lowest-paid construction workers.
Speaking to about 20 workers employed by China Railway Seventh Group Co. Ltd. (CRSG) between Congo Cross and Lumley, they presented payroll forms that showed daily pay of between Le 5,000 and Le 7,000.
However, a minimum wage set in a collective agreement for all building and construction workers, made between industry and workers’ representatives, states that unskilled workers should receive no less than Le 8,196 or Le 214,000 per month.
The agreement also sets a minimum standard for workers’ safety and benefits, which workers say are not being met.
CRSG was awarded a contract from the Sierra Leone Roads Authority to widen a 5.2-kilometre stretch of Wilkinson Road. Construction started in July 2010 and was due for completion in July 2011.
Most of the workers Awoko spoke to asked that their names not be published, for fear they would get fired or face other reprisals.
Some, however, said they were so frustrated with the situation that they wanted their names published, regardless of whether it risked their job.
A father of four working at Murray Town junction said he leaves his house around 5 a.m., travelling all the way from Kissy Road to the company’s office in Lumley to register for that day’s work by 7 a.m.
He disclosed that if he is a few minutes late, he will be marked as absent and will not receive pay for that day.
He said he received a sum of Le 5,000 per day and his monthly pay was sometimes as low as Le 130,000 for a month.
Other workers this reporter spoke to at the Murray Town junction disclosed that they are not covered by insurance in case of accident, nor do they receive any money for medical expenses, even for injuries they get at work. Workers also said they do not receive a travel allowance.
Mohamed Bangura disclosed they work from 7a.m. till 12 noon. They have a two-hour lunch break and then work again until 6 p.m for a total of 9 hours but they are marked for 8 hours. Some of the time slips the workers carried showed hours added for overtime but workers said they don’t always receive pay for it.
“We are subduing to this because we don’t have any option and the government is not advocating on our behalf,” said Bangura. “When we protested once in January the leader of that protest was sacked and (the government) told us that if we are not satisfied we should leave the job.”
But workers said they have no choice because there are no other jobs.
Most of the workers at the site were seen wearing flip-flop ‘comfort’ slippers with either a short or long pair of jean trousers to match, using pick-axes to dig a hole through the pavement. Workers operating and working around heavy machinery said they received no formal training.
Workers said they are held liable for damage to cars passing from stone chips and have to pay the car owner for repairs.
Other workers interviewed along the Wilkinson Road near Collegiate School also explained about the frustration they get at the job.
Anthony Garber said they are angry about the treatment meted on them by the company “but what ever happens we have to manage because this is where our family depends.”
Garber said CRSG deducts Le 5,000 per month for union dues. He also said NASSIT is deducted from their pay, but they receive no NASSIT slips.
“We don’t even know who the union is and no slip is given to us that we have paid for this or that,” said Garber.
Awoko cross-checked with at least a dozen workers and none knew who their union is or had received a NASSIT slip.
Abdul Turay also explained that they are asked to pay for working gear such as rain boots and coats, and reflective vests. He said a reflective vest cost Le 50,000 from CRSG.
He said, “All of this is the fault of the government, when we protested the government told us to work and that they will arrange with the construction workers but the situation still remains the same.”
Hassan Kamara explained that during working hours they are not allowed to eat any food. “They do not even give us water not to talk about food when we are working, God forbid if you are caught eating while working you will be marked absent even if you work from morning to night.”
Kamara said workers who are hurt on the job are sent home and must pay for any medical treatment themselves. Any time absent from work due to injury is deducted from salaries, he said.
One worker was killed on the job earlier this year; his family received just Le 1.5 million in compensation, Kamara said.
A driver at Wilkinson Road explained to this reporter he is a skilled worker but he only earns Le 8,000 daily.
He said workers hand in their time slips at the end of the month and receive their pay, with no record of the amount paid, hours worked or union and NASSIT dues given to them.
Tejan A. Kassim, Secretary-General of the Artisan’s Public Works and Services Employees Union that represents the workers, said the Union has been having problems with CRSG. He has written to the company on several occasions raising concerns about wages and conditions for workers but the issues have not been resolved.
Some of the Union’s concerns included whether medical treatment or first-aid kits were available on-site, what information is included on payroll slips and whether protective clothing was provided for workers.
The agreement includes provisions for medical care, payment, overtime and protective clothing, among other things.
In a response dated January 16, 2011, CRSG said workers’ salaries were shown clearly on payroll, first aid kits are available and the company will send someone seriously injured to hospital.
“About protective clothing, we are confident that no other companies can do it better than us in Sierra Leone,” it read.
Kassim said he is trying to meet with the company this weekend to resolve some of the issues.
The Acting Commissioner of Labour Ahmed Musa said he is not aware of any anomalies going on at the different sites. If his department has reason to believe there may be violations taking place, labour inspectors go to investigate, he said.
Mr. Musa said they haven’t inspected CRSG but they have gone to other companies.
The problem he said is that they used to have only two inspectors and it is only recently that five more inspectors were recruited.
He said the provisions of the collective agreement are legally binding on all companies and therefore it should not be flouted.
“Anybody who falls short of this, it is the violations of labour regulations,” said Mr. Musa.
He confirmed that all companies should observe health and safety regulations and should also provide safety gears for all their workers without any cost.
The Public Relations Officer of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority, Mr. Sorie Kanu, told Awoko that Sierra Leonean workers will sometimes negotiate lower wages because they are desperate for a job. When they find out they are underpaid, they run to the government for help, he said.
The PRO said CRSG was the lowest bidder on the contract, which was worth about Le 84 billion. The work required has expanded but the government is not going to pay for that, he said, so CRSG has to make do with the little they have to pay salaries and complete the job.
The widening of Wilkinson Road is part of the development of the country and workers should take part, said Mr. Kanu.
A CRSG representative said they would not comment without permission from their employer, the SLRA. Mr. Kanu told Awoko the permission would need to come from project director Mrs. Memuna Jalloh, who was unreachable.
By Betty Milton