{"id":433830,"date":"2011-05-31T16:49:19","date_gmt":"2011-05-31T16:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/"},"modified":"2011-05-31T16:49:19","modified_gmt":"2011-05-31T16:49:19","slug":"mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Mittal’s Workers Bleed Under Subcontractors With Killer Salaries"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New Democrat<\/a> (Monrovia)<\/p>\n

Boimah J. V. Boimah<\/p>\n

31 May 2011<\/p>\n

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Arcelor Mittal’s over billion-dollar venture meant to rejuvenate the economy promised better jobs and salaries for many unemployed Liberians. But the multi-national company has already earned the reputation of unfairness and bad labour deals amongst workers as it subcontracts many of its jobs to other companies paying Liberian far lower wages with no job security. According to other sources, the company, when recently asked for documents as evidence that it was abiding by its contractual agreements of yielding certain percentage of jobs to Liberians, reportedly said its document in this regards were in London. Several workers interviewed in Nimba recently expressed despair over what they claim are a terrible conditions.<\/p>\n

Sitting in a dense forest beneath the ore-rich mountain overlooking it’s remains, the town of Yekapa still struggles to its appearance, but those who knew its glorious years when a Swedish company mined the mountain have passed their judgment. It will never be the same under the Indian-owned multi-national company.<\/p>\n

The Liberian-Swedish-American company (LAMCO) once ruled here with plenty of memories some of this town’s many unemployed residents recall with fondness. BUT LAMCO, like many others like it, would wither in smoke of gunfire as its inhabitants fled.<\/p>\n

Arcelor Mittal’s arrival generated international headlines, highlighting an economic rebirth for Liberia. In this proclaimed rebirth, Yekepa would be the midwife, and there was plenty of hope here, a town just about 100 kilometers from Monrovia, the capital, but yet so distant.<\/p>\n

With Mittal’s 25-year concession agreement with the government of Liberia to mine a huge ore deposit, hopes of a better future flare, now that peace had returned and such investors were eying Liberia again.<\/p>\n

Evidence of renewal would emerge as convincing signposts of better days to come. The over 200 Km rail linking Yekepa, from where the ore would be siphoned, to Buchanan has already been completed.<\/p>\n

The company has also commenced mining mountain tops left over by LAMCO, and it is about to make the first shipment of ore in decades since the emergence of the civil war which left the country ravaged.<\/p>\n

But the immediate beneficiaries must come from outside Liberia, for now as some said and for the future as others claimed.<\/p>\n

Thus Mittal has also contracted an international Ghanaian company, Engineers and Planners Ltd currently mining the ore, to train local Liberians for possible integration into the mining field.<\/p>\n

And there is no shortage of proclaimed love for humanity, even if the real reason in such businesses is nothing more than money for home.<\/p>\n

“We are here to show our professionalism and to also help our brothers. Our aim is to see our brothers, the local Liberians taken over the mining sector of this company. Yes, we can do that by rebuilding Liberian miners,” said Philip Adae-Mensah, human resource manager of the Engineers and Planners group.<\/p>\n

Hundred and sixty Liberians are currently undergoing intense skill development training in mining related fields to enable them takeover the sector within the company, according to Adae-Mensah.<\/p>\n

In its recent report, released May 11, the company revealed that in the first quarter of 2011, results showed that sales rose by 27 per cent to US$22.2 billion globally, while net profit jumped 67 per cent to US$1.1 billion, compared to US$640 million in the same period of 2010. Pre-tax earnings were $2.6 billion.<\/p>\n

The mining division contributed pre-tax earnings of US$607 million on sales of US$1.1 billion, making it the most profitable of Arcelor Mittal’s six business sectors.<\/p>\n

The once looted structures, including school and hospital facilities that presented Yekepa like a small American Village but abandoned to battle with thick forest during the war, are fast becoming alive.<\/p>\n

Citizens from various counties across the country now rush to Yekepa on a daily basis to search for jobs as prospect looms for more.<\/p>\n

But not all is well here, far from it. The dream of working for Mittal with high expectation of above average salary remains a crude dream for many who flocked here, and those who remember LAMCO conclude this is a nightmare.<\/p>\n

First, Mittal has sub-contracted its labour force in many areas, meaning, it pays companies that supply labourers. Thus, it has no direct obligations to these sub-contracted labourers, only to the companies that provide the labour.<\/p>\n

Hired or manual workers sub-contracted are accusing Arcelor Mittal of neglect, bad labor practices amongst others. It seems obvious that the intent is to save money and Mittal is doing just that.<\/p>\n

Research documents also reveal that: “Liberia’s Minimum Wage is the lowest amount a worker can be legally paid for his work. Most countries have a nation-wide minimum wage that all workers must be paid. Liberia’s minimum wage is 15 LD per hour, not exceeding 8 hours per day, excluding benefits, for unskilled laborers and 4,200 LD per month for civil servants.”<\/p>\n

During our tour under the banner of Journalist for Human Rights (JHR), Paul Brooks, a sub-contractor of Odebrecht, one of the companies Arcelor Mittal has contracted to work on the railroad and other facilities, revealed in an interview that he makes US$3 as a daily wage, less than LD300.<\/p>\n

He, however, said he works far longer than the required working hours, and he did not indicate if he is entitled to overtime pay rates.<\/p>\n

“They use us here like slaves; you work through out the day. No one leaves the job site unless the bus passes. There is no insurance benefit,” he said.<\/p>\n

Chris Gonoe, a mechanic sub-contracted by AFr-con said the working condition at the company is “very unreliable.”<\/p>\n

“There is no job security. Our expectations for this company were high, but now look; our mates are making more than us. I work far more than what I earn per day. I make US$3 per day,” he said.<\/p>\n

Sub-contractors also pointed out discrepancies in the wage structure of companies contracted to hire workers for Mittal, adding that few pay more to their sub-contractors than the others.<\/p>\n

Toe Lewis, a painter and another sub-contractor of Eco-Com, confirmed this and noted that he earns US3.50 per day.<\/p>\n

“No, our bosses take good care of us. They pay us US$3.50 per day,” he said.<\/p>\n

Brushing along the bushy rail-tracks, a sub-contractor who preferred anonymity for fear of loosing his job, also said there is discrepancy between them (sub-contarctors) and regular workers of Arcelor Mittal in terms of access to medication whenever an accident occurs.<\/p>\n

“There is no health facility for us. Whenever you get injured on the field, the only thing the company tells you is to go home, without pay or medication.<\/p>\n

“There is no other means of sustaining our livelihood, so we just have to accept it,” he said.<\/p>\n

Persistent efforts to locate Arcelor Mittal’s contractors proved fruitless but when contacted via mobile phone, a man identified as Pedro who manages the Odebrecht Company, one of the contracted companies of Arcelor Mittal, declined to comment on the issue.<\/p>\n

“I am not going to make any comments to the press,” he said, while terminating the call from this paper.<\/p>\n

Yet, Emmanuel Dolo, Head of General Administration at Arcelor Mittal, denied claims by sub-contractors that Mittal does not prioritize the safety of workers in its concession area.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know what contractors pay their workers (sub-contractors). I would not share this information with you. It is confidential information.<\/p>\n

“But to say that we don’t take care of their welfare during accident, that is untrue. We do take care of sub-contractors’ welfare whenever there is an emergency situation,” he clarified.<\/p>\n

He said the company provides health care facilities for all workers, noting, “even to those who are not sub-contractors in our areas.”<\/p>\n

Earlier, Charl F. Van der Merwe, Arcelor Mittal’s chief operation officer, told this paper that to avoid accident at the mine and other activities within the concession, workers are daily informed about job safety measures.<\/p>\n

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\nMittal’s Workers Bleed Under Subcontractors With Killer Salaries<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Democrat (Monrovia) Boimah J. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":433833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-433830","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment"},"yoast_head":"\nMittal's Workers Bleed Under Subcontractors With Killer Salaries - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Mittal's Workers Bleed Under Subcontractors With Killer Salaries - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"New Democrat (Monrovia) Boimah J.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Mittal’s Workers Bleed Under Subcontractors With Killer Salaries\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-05-31T16:49:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/\"},\"wordCount\":1344,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"articleSection\":[\"Entertainment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/mittals-workers-bleed-under-subcontractors-with-killer-salaries\/\",\"name\":\"Mittal's Workers Bleed Under Subcontractors With Killer Salaries - 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