APM Terminals Liberia, in her wave to move forward and establish a world-class Port within the Republic of Liberia, has resolved the long-standing employees’ contentions represented by the Dock Workers Union of Liberia (DOWUL).  After a series of tripartite dialogues between the Management of APM Terminals Liberia, the DOWUL and the Ministry of Labor (MOL), a compromise was reached by all parties hence bringing an end to the long-standing stalemate. This was concretized by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which took place at the Ministry of Labor on Monday, September 27, 2021.

During the signing ceremony Hon. Minister Cllr. Charles Gibson welcomed the negotiation teams and gave a brief history of the negotiation process while highlighting the Ministry of Labor’s role in resolving disputes in the Republic of Liberia. He maintained that the Ministry of Labor focuses primarily on the rules and will always encourage social dialogue.  Speaking further, Hon. Minister Cllr. Gibson thanked all parties for the way in which the process was conducted and further described APM Terminals Liberia Managing Director, Mr. Jonathan Graham as a visionary who sees things differently. He also acknowledged Jonathan Graham and the teams’ engagement in handling the process expediently.

Hearing briefly from the relevant parties, Madam Jackie Doe, President, Dock Workers Union of Liberia (DOWUL) said “We are happy to have reached this point and we want to thank the Ministry of Labor under the leadership of Hon. Minister Cllr. Gibson for the high level of intervention in bringing this matter to an amicable end.“  She also praised APM Terminals Liberia Management under the leadership of Jonathan Graham for understanding the situation and helping in bringing it to an end. She stressed that APM Terminals Liberia and the Union Representation are considered Social Partners who are working together to move the country forward.

The Managing Director of APM Terminals Liberia, Mr. Jonathan Graham asserted, “I want to thank you, Hon. Minister Cllr. Gibson and the Ministry for the support and guidance to all the parties during the negotiations and to the DOWUL Leadership and our Team for the manner and form in which we arrived at a peaceful signing and want to assure the adherence to the full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding.”  Making further comments after the ceremony, Mr. Graham also said, “We are extremely happy that this matter is put behind us and we can move forward as the “Family” that we consider ourselves to be.  I want to thank all parties for their collaborative efforts, and we look forward to the smooth and efficient implementation of the MOU”.

Mr. Ballah Kpadeh, Union Worker Representative from APM Terminals Liberia injected, “Today, we are happy that we have reached the point of concluding. Special thanks go to the Ministry of Labor, DOWUL and the APM Terminals Liberia Management, specifically, Mr. Jonathan Graham. We want to assure you that this is our Company and we are excited today that we have turned a new chapter to a peaceful transition.”