FreedomNews
Del-Frances Wreh, former Director for Microeconomics Policy Analysis at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), has refuted the Unity Party’s (UP) claims regarding the implementation of the $150 minimum wage for civil servants. Wreh’s rebuttal came shortly after Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan announced that no government employees would earn below USD$150 starting January 2025.
Wreh stated that the $150 minimum wage was already implemented by the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government at the beginning of 2023. He highlighted that over 15,000 civil servants, including supplementary teachers, traditional workers, security personnel, janitors, health workers, and cleaners, were earning less than $150 per month before 2023. These employees were left out of initial salary adjustments during the CDC’s salary harmonization process, which aimed to ensure fair wages across Liberia’s public sector.
In his 2023 Annual Address, President George Weah urged the National Legislature to adjust salaries in line with the Decent Work Act, mandating a minimum wage of $150 per month. Following this, the MFDP and the Civil Service Agency (CSA) implemented the necessary salary adjustments, costing the government about $6 million. Wreh emphasized that this was a continuation of the CDC’s salary harmonization process, which aimed to raise the wages of the lowest earners within government institutions.
Wreh noted that more than 30,000 civil servants had already benefited from incremental salary adjustments during the first four years of the harmonization process. He criticized the UP for attempting to take credit for the ongoing salary adjustments, which he said were initiated by the CDC. Wreh urged the UP to acknowledge the work already done in addressing civil servant wages and recognize the CDC’s efforts in improving the welfare of Liberia’s public servants.
As the wage adjustment process continues, many civil servants and the general public hope the government will remain committed to ensuring fair wages across the public sector, contributing to greater economic stability and social equity in Liberia.
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