By Joseph Tumbey
Following several complaints of human rights violations at the Chinese own “East International Construction Company” including: slavery, racism, bad Labor practices among others, their new Project Manager only identified as Lee has confirmed East International management involvement in human rights violations.
Speaking with local workers and East International management during the week at their technical offices in King gray community Robert International Airport highway in Monrovia. Several local workers who pleaded anonymity disclosed how the Company management is an anti human rights cartel.
According to them, beating them on a daily basis and illegal dismissal is the order of the day at East International while the Government remains silent over the happenings.
Going further, the local workers have revealed that the entire workers who are hired locally are unemployed by the Company, work as daily hires with no contract shit nor Social security card.
“Here, the unskilled laborers are pay US$ 4 per day, no Holiday, work for over 45 days before taking one month pay, force us to credit from the Company with interest when month ends and provide only two local bags of water for workers daily, people are dismissed for drinking above the bags of water they provide.
The worst is that they hire a Chinese man from Freetown Sierra Leone by the name of Leo who beats workers at job regularly. While Sakura, a Chinese woman, is the Human Resource Officer at the company”, the East International Construction Company local workers explained in tears.
They further stated that, recently one of their Colleague who is a yellow machines operator was massively flogged by Leo the Chinese Man and while the case was reported at the Zone #8 Police Station in Monrovia. The Ministry of Public works with Labor were involved with no positive outcome.
Meanwhile, one of the dismissed local Female workers, only know as Grace sayon who claimed to had been cooking for the Chinese workers at their newly crushed rock site in BenTown o Marshall road said, she was involved in a moto accident why she was on her way to the market to prepare food for them and now became a handicap followed by dismissing her with no benefits.
Speaking with the Chinese Woman, Sakura who was identified by the local workers as the only Human Resource of the Company alongside Lee who claims to be their new project manager on Thursday December 8, 2022. Lee confirmed the ongoing of several Human rights violations at East International and said they are from different cultures with different lifestyles.
He said adopting Liberian Culture will take them time. ” I have worked in Africa for over 25 years both in North, South, East and West Africa .
Meanwhile, when contacted one Victor, a Chinese Man who is known to be a General Manager of the Company via phone, he claimed to be sick and couldn’t understand English unless Chinese.
However, several calls and messages have been sent to the Labor Minister, Charles Gibson to no avail.
The East International Construction Company is a Chinese owned Company who was awarded the US$ 116 million contract to expand the 48 kilometer Monrovia Robert International Airport road by the Liberian Government.
During the Senate interaction with the Public work Minister, Ruth Cocker Collins on the ongoing Robert field highway road project handled by the East International early this week, the Public Works Minister confirmed non confidence in the Company to successfully carry out the road project.
She complained the Company to the Senates of having non financial and logistics ability to complete the project within their 36 months agreement.
Also speaking with a Liberian Journalist who claims to be the Public Relations Officer of East International and also a Publisher of a local daily Newspaper Global News Network, Mr. Cholo Brooks. He threatened to sue any Journalist who published story about the Company bad Labor practice, Human rights violations, slavery and racist.
Investigation continues.
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