Over 200 former employees of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) have formally raised concerns over prolonged delays by the Ministry of Labour in executing court-mandated payments owed to them.
The Supreme Court of Liberia, in a recent ruling, reaffirmed an earlier decision that the former workers were unlawfully declared redundant by GTZ.
The Court also upheld the company’s liability for overtime compensation, though it introduced some modifications to the original judgment. This ruling marks a major victory for the former employees, who have been seeking justice for several years.
Following the Court’s directive, the Ministry of Labour assigned a designated hearing officer to recalculate the owed benefits according to the formula established in the Supreme Court’s decision. However, despite these developments, the affected workers have expressed growing frustration over what they describe as significant and unexplained delays in the process.
The former employees have voiced suspicions that external influences—potentially involving legal representatives aligned with GTZ’s management—may be contributing to the slow progress in processing their benefits.
Joe Gborie, spokesperson for the affected employees, emphasized the workers’ position, stating: “We welcome the High Court’s decision and call on the Ministry of Labour to expedite the process so that our members can receive their benefits as ordered. The ongoing delay is causing severe hardship for the workers who are legally entitled to these benefits.”
Mr. Gborie also urged the Minister of Labour—who once served as the lead legal representative for the former GTZ workers—to personally intervene to ensure that the recalculation and payment process is completed without further hindrance.
The affected employees remain hopeful that with swift and decisive action from the Ministry of Labour and other relevant authorities, justice will finally be served and the long-overdue benefits will be disbursed.
