Mr. Jerry K. Weagba who is also vice chairman for operations of the Dock Workers Union of Liberia (DOWUL), an umbrella organization of all NPA workers, was also fired for holding “illegal press conference on the premises of the Free Port of Monrovia.

Mr. Weagba confirmed that he along with DOWUL Acting Financial secretary, Blamah Sowoh, was fired on Friday by the port management who accused him of smuggling “unauthorized persons” into the port after he held a news conference on the plight of the port workers.

During the news conference, Mr. Weagba said he told journalists that employees of the Free Port of Monrovia were operating in an unfavorable environment at the port.

According to him, the employees lack basic working equipment and stationery.

He indicated that many offices at the port are without chairs, desks, computers, and stationeries, to effectively carryout their duties.

He added that the bathrooms of the port were always without water for excretory purposes.

These problems, he said, were outlined at the news at the news conference by him as an official of the DOWUOL, underscoring the importance for the NPA management to address these concerns in the best interest of the port.

NPA managing director, Matilda Parker, could not be reached up to press time yesterday for comment on the latest dismissal of the Dock Workers Union executives, but a letter, of dismissal addressed to Mr. Weagba by the NPA management said, he was sacked for releasing  “confidential information to unauthorized persons.”

NPA, in its letter for Notice of Removal From Payroll, sent to Mr. Weagba and approved by various departments said, “On Friday, February 10, 2012, at 1:p.m. you smuggled unauthorized persons into the Port premises and conducted an unauthorized (illegal) press conference on the premises of the Freeport of Monrovia and publicly disclosed confidential and classified information as well as working secret of the National Port Authority to unauthorized persons (ushers).”

The letter added that Mr. Weagba’s action was a “gross violation of the National Port Authorized employees’ hand book, Article 3, Sections VIII under the caption, ‘Guidelines’ 7, 8 and 9 and Section 1508 2 (c) of the Labor Practices Law of Liberia.

“Therefore, your services with the National Port Authority are hereby terminated for this violation effective February 17, 2012.”

But, addressing a news conference yesterday, in Monrovia, Weagba said, their action to host a press conference at the premises of the Freeport was not in violation of the handbook, but to inform the public through the media about the deplorable conditions under which they, employees, were working.

According to him, the press conference on February 10, 2012, was also to discuss management’s ‘delay tactics’ relative to the collective bargain agreement involving it and the port employees.

He named improve sanitation, electricity, water and equipment and increment of employees salaries as part of the agreement.

“Almost all of the offices at the Freeport of Monrovia are without computers, electricity and water. We are still using type writers to do our work; we take water from the drainages to flush our bathrooms after using them at the port,” Weagba lamented.

“Since current administration took over the management of the NPA, it has refused to improve our working condition and has ignored the collective bargaining agreement,” he added.

Reacting to allegations of  holding secret meeting into the premises of the Port as alleged  by the management, Mr. Weagba maintains that their action was in line with the policy of the union.

“We did not violate any potion of the worker handbook, rather, we, as a union, and a sole representation of the workers, it is our responsibility to ensure that the wellbeing of our workers is addressed by management. We were exposing the conditions under which our people are working” he declared.

“Therefore, we are appealing to the government, through the Ministry of Labour, the National Legislature, foreign embassies to intervene and effect an investigation into our dismissal.

“More besides, we have learnt that management is planning to sack other members of the Union,” Mr. Weagba indicated.