Police in Margibi County has arrested several persons in connection with yesterday arson and looting on the offices of Salala Rubber Corporation in Weala
The Liberia News Agency quoting authorities of the crime services division of the Liberia National Police said about 8 persons including two females are part of several people arrested so far after yesterday’s incident on the vesinity of the Salala Rubber Corporation.
It can be recalled that on the 21 of June, 2024, tappers of the Salala Rubber Corporation filed with the management of the company through their union leadership a 13 counts call for better working conditions including housing, , medication, ambulance service, among others.
However, in a response to their grievances, the management of SRC considered six of the 13 counts while the remaining were to be handled through a pending collective bargaining agreement, CBA, that is expected to be negotiated between the workers union, the ministry of labor and General Agricultural and Allied Workers Union, GAAWUL.
However, follow the tappers five days of go slow action initiated, decided to resume work Tuesday of this week why a further discussions was ongoing with management and the union leadership to derive a decision to pay for the 5 days the tappers lost as a result of their go slow action.
I’m the face of it, management disagreed not to pay for the days lost for the month ending and this angered the tappers to go on the rampage leading to the wantom destruction of the company’s properties destroyed.
Mary Boimah, the first female head of the union leadership at the Salala Rubber Corporation expressed shock and dismay over the manner and form in which the tappers overly reacted to the situation.
Ms. Boimah said the union leadership and management were in a final negotiation on the payment for the five days lost and the general manager rejected the idea to pay for it.
She regretted the incident and call for an immediate and speedy investigation and those who will be found culpable will face the law.
” I will not condone and acts of violence that will bring about the damaging of the company’s properties”, she stated.
The suspects includes Nowah Gibson, 50, was arrested with four bags of rice from the company’s warehouse, Joseph Tokpah,40, and Anthony Williams, 38.
Two of the suspects namely, Joseph Tokpah, Anthony Williams who are all tappers from estate #1 of the company were seeing on the factory actively engaged with the situation on early Thursday morning.
One of Main ring leaders of the tappers who led the group to attack the company, a Nigerian national, who on the day attempted stabbing the general manager of the Salala Rubber Corporation, Okoro and the rest are on the run from just.
The Police Support Unit PSU of Liberia National Police has since been deployed in the area are in a hot pursuit of the remaining tappers that were involved in the incident at office of the Salala Rubber Corporation.
The Weala area is noted to a violent prone area in recent history in three years ago, April 1, 2021 when citizens in the area attacked and burn down public facilities including the Baypolu Magisterial Court and the police depot and other private homes.
The 8 persons are now being processed and expected to be forwarded to court for prosecution.
