Redundant employees of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company call on the Supreme Court of Liberia to hand down ruling in their petition before the High Court that has been before the Bench for about six years.
By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, Liberia, April 2, 2025 – A group of redundant and downsized employees of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) is upset with the Supreme Court of Liberia for delay in rendering judgement in their complaint before the Court despite two recessive hearings.
The aggrieved former employees on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, petitioned the Supreme Court through a written communication to Chief Justice, Her Honor, Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Yuoh, expressing disappointment and frustration over delay in handing down ruling in the case between the downsized employees and the Management of the LPRC.
According to the group, constant delay by the Court to hand down ruling in a case that has spent seven years before it and has lingered in the corridor of the Judiciary for approximately nineteen years, is an attempt to deny them justice, noting that justice delayed, is justice denied.
They argued that after series of pre-trial conferences before Labour Court Judge, Her Honour, Comfort Natt, dismissed the case in favour of LPRC, thus prompting them to petition the Supreme Court of Liberia for JUDICIAL REVIEW.
Following their petition to the High Court in its October Team 2018, under the leadership of former Chief Justice Francis S. Korkpor, Sr, first argument was heard on 17th December 2018, but ruling was reserved.
Also, in its March Term A.D. 2023, the Supreme Court, under Her Honour, Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh, heard the 2nd argument and ruling was also reserved.
The affected employees lament that because of the protracted delay to give ruling in the case, 92 of their fellow aggrieved compatriots have died out of stress and frustration, thus leaving behind their families in a state of perpetual hopelessness
“Moving forward, we wish to outrightly call upon the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia to stand the high moral ground to release the ruling in our case, as justice delayed is justice denied”, they noted in their communication.
In 2006, during the Administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Management of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) executed what it termed as a “right-sizing plan” to reduce its workforce of 750 to approximately 250 employees.
This action by the government led to more than 400 employees of the Company losing their means of income.
They allege that shortly after the redundancy exercise carried out by the Company, more people were recruited and employed, something, which they believe, was politically-motivated and wrongful dismissal.
“We the affected LPRC redundant employees of 2006 subsequently filed a formal complaint before the Labour Court of Liberia on April 27, 2009, against the Management of LPRC, alleging unfair labour practices and wrongful dismissal.” They recalled. Editing by Jonathan Browne
