By: Leila B. Gbati
A little drama unfolded in Nimba County on January 30, 2023, when disgruntled Cocopa Rubber Plantation employees built roadblocks to force the company’s administration to pay their salaries and benefits.
In a meeting with the administration and Representative Larry Yonquoi, the employees claimed, they were informed that their salaries will be paid on Saturday, January 20, 2023; however, the administration has since broken its word.
The incensed workers claimed that this was not the first occasion for workers to demonstrate and block roads, adding that the roadblock was planned to grab the government’s notice.
Teachers, nurses, and security officers were among the irate staff who expressed unhappiness with the administration of Cocopa Rubber Plantation.
Some employees, according to the demonstrators, have not received compensation for thirteen, eleven, and eight months, respectively.
The demonstrators ignored a police officer who arrived on the scene to try to settle things down and said they were waiting for Senator Prince Johnson.
They disclosed that the company has been managing the plantation for four years despite not being paid in numerous months while being asked by the Liberian government to do so for a period of five years.
The officers of the Liberian National Police’s Emergency Response Unit were cautioned by the demonstrators not to use force against them or they would be forced to damage the plantation’s products.
As of the time of publication, the plantation’s administration had not yet commented on the matter.
