January
29, 2015
Thomas
G. Bedell
SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE
Concerned
Citizens Action Committee (CCAC)
Reevy
Street, Harper City, Maryland County
CELL:
+231.886.920.151/777.088.427
Betsy
Kuoh Toe
SUPERINTENDENT
Maryland
County
Republic
of Liberia
Dear
Madam:
I
trust you are enjoying God’s grace and doing well with your varied
responsibilities!
This
letter is two-fold: First, to congratulate you on your historic preferment as
the second female and first citizen of Barrobo to become superintendent of
Maryland County since 1857. Second, to follow-up and formalize a complaint I discussed
with you in your office on January 21, 2015. Several citizens and residents of
Maryland retained my service to advocate, represent their interests and
negotiate in their behalf an amicable settlement in a misunderstanding between them
and The Cross Border Electrification Project under the watchful eye and
management of The Liberia Electric Corporation (LEC).
Madam
Superintendent, my clients duly informed me that they have not been fairly
treated by their recruiters and therefore seek a redress and/or response.
Based
on my clients’ complaint, they are divided into two separate groups:
The
first group includes those who were recruited in 2011. In this group, some of
the individuals served as pole planters and wiring technicians while others
served as trainers and consultants for the Electric Company during this period
under review.
The
second group includes those who were recruited in 2013 from various towns and
villages surrounding Harper City as pole planters and wiring technicians
(please see attached letters from General Town Chiefs).
According
to my clients, all of them, prior to engaging field work, attended a
three-month training program which qualified them for the job. Based on our
clients’ complaint, the Electric Company did not have its own trainers. As
such, I am told, some of our clients who are well-trained electricians by
education and profession, previously trained at their own expense, have served
and are still serving as trainers free-of-charge with a promise from the
recruiters for future employment and stipend.
My
clients have one story and one interest:
They
were recruited by Messrs. Joseph Leay and Joseph Dahn in 2011 and 2013
respectively. According to them, they were recruited to serve in the capacity
as volunteers with a promise to be employed at the completion of a three- month
work period. The second group claims it was recruited with the consent of their
town chiefs (please see attached letters). My clients also informed me that the
three months volunteer service that was agreed upon was completed. But they
were told to continue with a promise of future employment. But up to the minute
we opine, my clients have been working assiduously hard for the past three
unbroken years conducting training, planting poles and wiring poles throughout
the Harper District without any compensation, whatsoever. And that troubles them!
My
clients also informed me that during this period under review, they insisted to
be fed during hard labor field and office work. But they were denied.
In
October, 2014, my clients tell me that working materials used on the field were
depleted. So field work could not continue. But Mr. Joseph Dahn (who
understandably represents the interests of the Electric Company), instructs
them to report to work a five-day week schedule
( Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) until materials
arrive. As we opine, my clients tell me, they are currently reporting to work
each and every day (five days a week) at the Head Office adjacent the Catholic
Covent from 8am to 4pm. Although, there’s no work to be done at the Head
office, my clients tell me, the threat to terminate their service and disrupt
possible future employment hangs over them. As such, they are currently
complying with the five-day work authorization.
On
January 22, 2015, I personally spoke with Mr. Henry Lewis, Liberia Electricity
Corporation (LEC) liaison officer in Monrovia to ascertain the facts. Upon
inquiry, Mr. Lewis duly informed me by way of cell phone that, to his
knowledge, there’s not a single soul that works in Maryland County under the
Cross Border Electrification project known as “volunteers.” He also added
during the phone discussion that there’s no LEC office and representative in
the entire Maryland County. In our cell phone discussion, Mr. Lewis inquired
from me as to who recruited these individuals. I informed him, as per my
clients, Messrs. Joseph Leay and Joseph Dahn were the recruiters. Besides
knowing Mr. Leay, Mr. Lewis tells me that he does not know of any Joseph Dahn
in Maryland. He emphatically stated that there is no one in Maryland who has
any authority from LEC to recruit. Therefore, according to Mr. Lewis, if anyone
has recruited any volunteer, it is not up to LEC’s knowledge. I then asked Mr.
Lewis, after three unbroken years, if he has not heard or known about a
sizeable number of Maryland citizens and residents performing such tasks as
planting light poles and electrifying. His response was in the negative. After
all was said and done, Mr. Lewis advised I issue a letter of complaint to the
LEC Management in Monrovia for redress.
Madam
Superintendent, having heard from Mr. Lewis and considering his denial, we
cannot but be troubled both in mind and soul. Our citizens and residents, who
have continued to pull themselves by their own boots strap to feed their
families, pay their children’s school fees and have complied with the prescribed
work ethics to achieve their full human conditions, have their lives now hanging
in the balance.
This
being the case, Madam Superintendent, we do hereby appeal to your honorable
offices and as mother of the county and its chief executive to help us find an
amicable resolution to this matter. An amicable resolution that we desire is a
win-win situation. Our clients want to benefit and we also want the Electric
Company to benefit as well as Maryland. In the absence of an amicable
settlement, litigation is a last resort!
Therefore,
Madam Superintendent, we hereby seek an audience with you at your earliest
convenience.
May
God bless the work of your hands! I am,
Yours
truly,
Thomas
G. Bedell
