The President of the Cavalla Rubber Corporation Workers Union has raised concerns about the poor conditions of employee housing facilities, emphasizing the urgent need for management to address ongoing issues such as leaking roofs, broken sanitation systems, and lack of electricity affecting workers’ well-being.
In an interview, Mr. Paul W. Dweh expressed deep concern over the unlivable conditions many workers and their families are enduring, citing leaking roofs, broken sanitation systems, and lack of electricity among others as major issues affecting workers’ health and well-being.
The deteriorating state of housing in camps like Division 10, Yanceyville, Hospital Camp, and Division 5 has prompted employees to seek alternative housing options, leading to the closure of the company’s elementary school in Division 10.
“As we entered the rainy season, if you visit any of these camps, you will feel hurt; and it’s quite unfortunate that managers live comfortably in their homes while employees live in open air houses.
We don’t want to use an aggressive approach that’s why we are calling on management to address it in time, ” Mr. Dweh told reporters.”
The situation is said to have compelled several employees to vacate Division 10 in pursuit of a better living in Pleebo, resulting in the forced closure of the company’s elementary school in the area for more than a year now.
The Workers Union President highlighted the need for major renovations to these facilities, originally built by Firestone before the Liberian Civil War, to meet modern standards.
Efforts by the union to engage management on the housing issue have reportedly been met with silence, prompting the union to seek public attention and intervention from relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Labour and the government.
“The union has made multiple attempts in recent years to engage management on the matter, but their concerns have been met with silence. prompting him to come public,” Dweh pointed out. “This is why we have decided to come public.”
He believes this is no longer just a labor issue but a humanitarian crisis that needs the attention of all stakeholders, the Ministry of Labour, and the government as a whole.
“These are people who the company depends on for production,” Dweh said.
He expressed frustration in the Labor Ministry local office and the county legislative caucus for failing to recognize the unacceptable and dehumanizing conditions employees are forced to live in.
Despite the alarming conditions documented in housing units across various camps, there has been no response from the Cavalla Rubber Corporation’s management regarding the union’s concerns, highlighting the need for urgent action to address the critical living conditions of employees.
