By: Anthony Q. Jiffan, Jr.
MONROVIA: The Minister of Labor, Cllr. Cooper Kruah, has introduced a new system at the ministry which will allow Labor Inspectors to wear uniform while performing their inspectorate duties. The Minister said the new system is an outcome of persistent reports of harassment from some members of the business community.
Speaking in an exclusive with The Analyst yesterday, Minister Kruah said Labor Inspectors will wear uniform to make them more visible and to enhance their identity at sites of business institutions and in the public.
He indicated that since he took over the Ministry, there have been several complaints of harassments of businesses by individuals believed to be inspectors from the Ministry of Labor.
“Since our takeover, we have received several complaints from businesses about our inspectors harassing them, but they could not identify the inspectors” Minister Kruah recalled.
He said the Ministry have decided to introduce the uniform system that will enable the public and business people to identify Labor inspectors and accord them the necessary courtesies during the discharged of their duties.
“So as we have introduce the uniform system, we want to inform the public that hereafter, all of our inspectors will be in uniform on their assignments; the uniforms are designed in a way that they are numbered and that each of the numbers is assigned to an inspector for proper identification”.
The Labor Minister has therefore called on the public, especially business owners, to take keen note of the uniform and observe the number that will be carried by any inspector who will appear at their institution for inspection.
Cllr. Kruah averred that the numbers assigned to each of the inspectors can be used to easily identify and report them if they harass or intimidate a business person or entity, urging them to report said individual without delay.
The uniform, he added, is intended to enhance the work of the inspectors as they will be moving visibly in the public spheres, and we encourage them to be orderly while doing their jobs.
The Minister further explained that one the major functions of the inspectors is to document any violation observed or reported by employees during inspection and report to the ministry for action.
“If an inspector goes in the field and observes any violation or complaint of violation of the decent work act, that inspector is supposed to report to the Deputy Minister for Labor Standard and the Deputy Minister can either write said institution been complained by directive or report to the Minister to invite the institution”
He intimated that inspectors are also under obligation to do a memo indicating what they have observed in the field during inspection. Such memo, the minister intimated, should be presented to the Minister of Labor for further action.
Minister Kruah is at the same time urging employees to report any form of bad labor practice at their areas of work to ensure that those situations are addressed by the ministry.
Minister Kruah assured employees who are faced the issue of under payment and other forms of bad labor practices and are afraid to speak out for fear of dismissal to report them, indicating that those concerned will be protected by the Labor Ministry.
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