20 November, 2011
Which sectors in Sierra Leone are most affected by CAL?
There are CAL workers in almost every area of work. In some sectors, this is just beginning but in others there are big numbers of CAL workers.
During the three years of the Sub-Saharan Africa ICEM CAL Project, what have been your biggest achievements?
We were able to coordinate a network to create a national committee to champion CAL workers. We have had some success where we brought the Ministry of Labour and the Commissioner of Labour to our discussions.
When we first engaged with the Ministry of Labour we made an appointment to meet them in their offices. We explained why we were there, how best we could work with them. We invited them to seminars and workshops and they gave positive statements expressing desire that CAL is addressed at all levels. The difficulties seen by unions and civil society were presented to them in a report.
Ezekiel Dyke
We also tried to bring CAL into our negotiations to try to make them see that there’s a need for CAL workers to be protected. We have been able to bring on board provisions relating to health and safety, medical treatment for CAL workers, and the maximum duration of fixed-term contracts after which workers must be given permanent status.
In one or two mining companies, they do it anyway. We have achieved a level of sensitisation – workers themselves will come and say I’m now working over six months, next month I should receive permanent status and be given benefits like every other worker.
Currently, there’s a review of the law. CAL is in the law but the law did not go too far. It has specific provisions on the length of contracts, health and safety provisions for CAL workers. Some of these are gazetted.
What demands is your union prioritising with regard to CAL?
Our demands are that we want significant improvement in the situation. We want CAL to be abolished completely. In the absence of our demand for abolishment, we want CAL workers to have similar benefits to permanent workers. Why not give them medical treatment? Their wages should be increased – the wages were US$1 to US$1.5 per day, some companies have increased it to US$2.50 per day. We hope to build on that because not all companies are paying CAL workers the higher wages.
In the mining sector, the minimum wage for permanent workers is US$3-4 per day. That does not include overtime, rent, education allowance, and transport allowance in some cases. Altogether permanent mining workers receive US$120-150 a month minimum in general. In some companies. CAL workers get overtime and sometimes transport allowance. Also, there are provisions for medical treatment but that does not take into account the family, as it does for permanent workers.
One company gave 200 workers permanent contracts as a result of our unions’ demands. We are conducting training for casual workers – you are engaged for three months, then given training and brought into permanent positions, for example a driver can be given skills to drive heavy machinery. This is happening in a number of companies carrying out training for locals.
Your union has also made an effort to sensitise the public to the problems of CAL, how have you done this?
In the seminars and workshops, we try to bring on board electronic media. We try to engage them on what we do. We have a radio program once a month roughly. We talk about CAL issues; we do it with our Labour Confederation because CAL is in all sectors and all areas. Don’t forget people have died as a result of not having personal protective equipment.
I was happy when I went to one mining company and I was approached by 20 women workers who said we are now due for permanent positions. Initially, all members of our union were permanent, now our strategy has changed – we must organise all workers and bring them on board, even though they may not initially pay dues.
How is your union dealing with mining companies who exploit CAL workers?
Mining companies said security had to be outsourced. When we tried to organise the workers they said the companies’ workers are not allowed to join a union. The union said they were already members [before they were outsourced]. They received US$200-300 a month before they were outsourced – then afterwards they received only half, they must pay for their own uniforms, they receive no medical treatment for their family, sometimes they get no transport allowance. We made representations to the Ministry of Labour. We helped the workers become members in secret. We had secret members’ meetings – they empowered us to seek a meeting with the Ministry of Labour. That case is going on now – 300 have filled out forms and next week we will have a meeting with the Ministry.
Negotiating a collective bargaining agreement depends on the company. Some say as far as we are concerned, the CAL workers can sign work contracts or not.
Soon, we will have final negotiations and the signing of a general national agreement for all mining companies in the country. One agreement is that if a worker has served three months and their contract is not renewed they are obliged to receive three months wages as a severance payment.
How does the Sierra Leone National CAL Committee function?
We came up with the idea for the committee at the 2010 CAL seminar. The object is to bring on board unions to assess the level of CAL in various sectors and to assess the conditions of service for CAL workers. We did a questionnaire to get this information. In 2011, the Committee was properly established. We meet regularly, about once a month. We look at what is happening in the different sectors on CAL and what we can do with companies refusing to give permanent status. One of the big challenges is resources; we think the government should assist in this.
What are the biggest challenges with regard to CAL?
Fear of joining a union is a challenge. Some (workers) are very positive, but some think if management knew they wanted to join, they would be terminated or dismissed, or subjected to threats and intimidation.