Africa-Press – Liberia. MONROVIA — The National Port Authority has taken a major step toward improving labor relations and employee welfare following the signing of a long overdue Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Dock Workers Union of Liberia and the Liberia Labour Congress.
The agreement was finalized on December 10, 2025 at the Authority’s corporate headquarters, closing a decade-long gap in negotiations and introducing significant enhancements to working conditions, compensation structures and employee protections.
The ceremony generated visible excitement among workers who had waited ten years for an updated and more responsive agreement that would address concerns over wages, benefits and workplace security.
Leading officials including the Chairman of the Board Rev Dr J Luther Tarpeh, Managing Director Sekou A M Dukuly, Deputy Managing Director for Administration James R Bernard, Deputy Managing Director for Operations Emmanuel Horton and the President General of the Dock Workers Union of Liberia attended the event, underscoring the level of collaboration and commitment invested in what several stakeholders described as a historic achievement for the Authority.
The new agreement introduces wide ranging reforms that aim to strengthen worker welfare and bring NPA policies into closer alignment with national labor standards. Employees will receive a ten percent salary increase and a non taxable fifty dollar monthly food allowance, measures designed to help mitigate rising living costs.
The CBA further expands employee protection by providing life and medical insurance for all staff members and revising the institution’s death benefit policy to ensure that the salary of a deceased worker continues for twenty four months as support to the worker’s family. This provision has been widely welcomed as a significant enhancement of the Authority’s social safety mechanisms.
Beyond financial benefits the agreement sets a performance based system for promotions and future salary increments which will rely on employee merit, institutional capacity and the availability of funds approved by the Board. Management has described this new framework as an important step toward creating a more transparent predictable and accountable system of professional advancement within the Authority.
Managing Director Dukuly expressed strong satisfaction with the completion of the agreement, calling it proof of the NPA’s commitment to improved governance fairness and better working conditions. He noted that the institution remains dedicated to upholding the standards outlined in the NPA Employee Handbook and the national Decent Work Act.
Board Chairman Dr Tarpeh also praised the leadership of the union for its constructive engagement throughout the negotiations and reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to supporting initiatives that advance both employee welfare and organizational effectiveness.
For many employees the agreement represents not only an administrative accomplishment but also a renewed foundation of trust cooperation and hope for continued progress in labor relations within the Authority.
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