By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay
September 17, 2020, (SALONE TIMES)
FREETOWN – Cleaners working for Kuma Logistics attached to the Connaught hospital have gone on a peaceful protest demanding nine months backlog salaries.
The strike leaves the hospital in a filthy state making it uncomfortable for the patients and visitors.
The workers strike last week was dispatched by the Sierra Leone Police.
Mustapha Yokei Hospital Secretary Connaught confirmed the strike but said they are a private cleaning firm that was hired by their contractor through the Ministry of Health to clean the hospital. He also confirmed that the staff has not been paid for nine months and they are demanding for their money.
He spoke about the series of meetings he had with the staff and said about two weeks back Government sent allocation for the hospital with which they managed to pay the contractor for two months. Even so, the cleaners said they had not received any payment.
As a means of managing the situation the Hospital Secretary said they called on their government cleaners which are 6 in number to do some cleaning while the private cleaners are on strike but they met resistance from the private cleaners by stopping them not to clean.
“I went down to mobilize the government Pin Coded Cleaner to clean but while they were cleaning they were prevented which to me is very wrong and as an administration we can’t allow the hospital to be filthy. I talk to them they could not listen so the best solution is to go to the police which I did and explained to them and they came and talk to them. That helped to cool down the situation and they allowed the pin coded cleaner to do the job.”
He went on to say he has already informed the Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry whom in turn called the contractor of the cleaning firm I.J. Jalloh to at least pay the staff the two months she has received from the hospital.
He said he can’t give the definite date for the remaining 7 months backlog but any time they have allocation from the government they would pay them.
He pointed out that the contract they sign is on yearly basis payment not on monthly basis.
“I am sure that the head of the cleaning firm has that understanding. I will talk to the PS to fast track the payment of their salaries. The 6 cleaners cannot handle the filth in the hospital as every minute waste is been generated in the hospital. We will continue to use them to do the cleaning” he said.
Brima Idrissa Owen Public Health Superintendent, Directorate of Environment Health and Sanitation said he was sent on special assessment to upgrade the environmental issue at the hospital.
He pointed out that most of the administrative arrangements were done before he took over and some are not clear to him.
He called on Kuma Logistic to pay their workers for the work to continue.
Kuma Logistic Manager, Anthony hastily also confirmed the two months payment but failed to give further interview due to permission from his boss the CEO of the company I.J. Jalloh.
