By Sulaiman Jalloh
The Minister of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), Mohammed Rahman Swaray has on Friday, November 8, 2024 Informed Members of Parliament about a new wage bill that will be brought to the House for approval.
He said that if approved by the House of Legislature, the Minimum wage will move from 800NLe to 1,200NLe. Speaking to parliamentary journalists after his appearance before MPs for questioning, the minister said that in recent, Parliament has enacted the trade union bill and the bill talks about the body that is responsible to work on a new minimum wage which is the joint national negotiating board. He noted that, things are hard and that Sierra Leoneans deserve better minimum wage, adding in the new wage bill, they are suggesting 1,200NLe emphasizing that suggestions are suggestions while expressing hope the ministry of finance to approve the proposed minimum wage bill.
On compliance, he encouraged the employees to take the new minimum wage bill seriously and to complain to anyone who may not want to pay the 1,200NLe and that there will be no reprisals for someone who speaks up of their labour rights. On job creation, he said the five hundred thousand jobs will include part time jobs, short time jobs, medium time jobs and permanent jobs, noting the government has created over one hundred and thirty-five thousand jobs (135,000). “Mind you it can be a part time job, a short time job, a medium time job, and permanent jobs” he reiterated According to minister Swaray, the government of president Bio cares for citizens out of the country especially those in Lebanon, saying he was recently in Ethiopia where he advocated for Sierra Leoneans migrant living in Lebanon purely women and the first batch of Two hundred (200) of the will repatriated in the country anytime soon and the government is working on to repatriate the remaining ones. In his Niger he said there are about one thousand one hundred of them, noting the first batch will also be repatriated on the 29th November, 2024.