GANTA, Nimba – Management and workers at Nimba Rubber Incorporated, formerly the Cocopa Rubber Plantation Company, have reached an agreement that would allow the workers to resume work at the plantation.

Speaking to reporters in Ganta, the president of the workers’ union said the memorandum of understanding was reached following a series of meetings. Sakpah Mahn said under the new arrangement, a casual worker would receive US$5.50 per day to meet a quota of trees that each worker is expected to tap.

Workers at the plantation had been protesting for months after the company announced a proposed reduction in the workforce. The workers also complained about severance benefits and back pay owed before the announcement of the layoffs.

That issue was since resolved with the help of the Liberian government, and the 425 workers received their compensation. However, there has not been any work at the plantation since.

“This has raised concerns by the management of NRI,” Mahn said. “And they came to Cocopa to meet with the workers. We had a two-day meeting.”

Mahn said the meeting at Cocopa did not yield the needed results because government representatives were absent, prompting a further meeting in Monrovia.

The meeting in Monrovia was attended by government representatives, NRI management, the Cocopa Workers Union leadership, and the National Rubber Broker and Farmer’s Union of Liberia.

At the close of the meeting, NRI management, which had sought to lay off some workers, agreed to have those workers work at the plantation for four months, after which they would be listed for redundancy. Mahn said the NRI management will now decide when the four months will commence under this new agreement.

Mahn said the agreement categorized payments for all tappers at the plantation, with a specified daily target based on the age and strength of the tappers. Nurses and teachers, on the other hand, would continue to make their previous salaries.

Mahn disclosed that under the new agreement, headmen for the tappers will receive 3 percent of proceeds from monthly sales while the overseers of the tappers will receive 1.01 percent.

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah