Following the unprecedented rise in fuel prices coupled with the rise in prices of essential commodities, foreign exchange earnings and inflation in the country, LEGAL LINK, an organization that defends the rights of vulnerable groups, has urged the Government of Sierra Leone to increase the minimum wage, salaries and pensions of Sierra Leoneans.
The Organization said in a statement it put out on Friday that Sierra Leone’s economic situation is not only in shambles but at its lowest ebb since the coming into office of the New Direction government.
Legal Link expressed deep concern about the current state of affairs which it described as abysmal, adding that it has the potential to undermine the relative peace, security and social cohesion if it is not addressed urgently
“It is against this backdrop coupled with a burning desire to address the welfare needs of the Sierra Leonean society that we make bold to call out on the government and its relevant agencies to do the needful by raising the minimum wage as well as the salaries and pensions of the working population in the country,” the statement further reads.
“It could be recalled that in Sierra Leone, since the year 2020, the minimum wage stands at 600, 000 Leones (50 dollars) a month while the majority of the working population particularly in the civil service takes home about 2,000,000 Leones ( 200 dollars) a month.”
‘It is also reported that majority of the pensioners in Sierra Leone receives less than 300,000 Leones (25 dollars) a month.’
The Organisation said in the statement that, a cursory look at the above monthly salaries and pensions paid to the majority of Sierra Leone’s workforce (past and present) will reveal that indeed, the people of Sierra Leone are merely eking out a living by miracle and magic, statement continued.
“With the rise in transportation costs as well as house rent charges and other essential commodities like rice, sugar, flour, pepper, packet water, cement etc, it stands to reason, and without doubt that, the average Sierra Leonean household is currently strangulated by the economic hardship in the country. Little wonder why corruption, mismanagement and the blood thirsty ambition for political power continue to fester on and even remains unabated within the public sector of Sierra Leone.”
“While the rise in petroleum products may not necessarily be the making of the government, it is however within the full grip and purview of the government of Sierra Leone to introduce affirmative actions, policies and programmes that will help cushion down the effect and mitigate the impact of rising prices in petroleum products and other essential commodities on the wider population.”
LEGAL LINK advised Sierra Leone to emulate many progressive nations to take reasonable steps to mitigate the hardship that has eclipsed it’s vulnerable population, and they also suggested that a sure step towards reducing this burden and suffering on the masses is by increasing the minimum wage, salaries and pensions of the working population in the country by a reasonable margin or percentage.
In LEGAL LINK’s assessment, a 50% increase would be a good starting point. “For example, if a worker in the private sector who receives the minimum wage (600,000 Leones) as monthly salary now receives an increased minimum wage by 50%, it would mean such a worker will now earn 1,100,000 Leones as monthly salary.”
They furthered that even though such salary may still not be adequate given the economic realities of the day, it does however gives a reasonable satisfaction to such worker that the government is doing something positive to ameliorate his predicament situation.
“This in our view is the very reason why a government does exists; to seek the welfare of its people.”
They emphasised that a government that chooses to do nothing or turns a blind eye on the suffering masses in such a crisis situation and suicidal moment, is not only being insensitive to the plight of its citizens as well as its obligations under the social contract, but is certainly a government that may be scoring an own goal on itself, heading for doom and rejection.
By Sallieu S Kanu