Africa-Press – Liberia. Workers of Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO), a major contractor of ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML), staged a protest along the company’s railway corridor on June 11, 2025, bringing locomotive operations to a grinding halt amid allegations of unpaid benefits and exploitative labor practices.
The disgruntled workers, demanding two years of unpaid benefits, also accused the firm of failing to provide basic labor rights, including health and insurance coverage, and equitable salaries. Their protest included blocking the rail lines at several locations, reportedly setting off a fire near one of the tracks—though conflicting accounts suggest no actual arson occurred.
“We are working under hazardous conditions with no insurance, no medical benefits, and no proper salary classification. Skilled and unskilled workers are all paid the same,” a visibly frustrated worker told Daily Observer. “With all this heavy-duty work, our lives are not insured. Even if you carry your own medical bill, they won’t pay it back.”
Despite the intervention of Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah on Wednesday, the situation escalated the following day, June 12, as protesters again blocked the rail, forcing AML to suspend train movements. Police from the Liberia National Police’s Emergency Response Unit (ERU) were deployed in Yekepa to prevent further disruptions or damage to company property. No arrests were reported.
The protest is the second in a series of labor unrest linked to WBHO in recent weeks. In late May, WBHO workers in Nimba County staged a similar go-slow action, blocking roads and voicing frustration over what they describe as poor and unsafe working conditions. At that time, both parties—workers and management—met at the Ministry of Labor (MOL) branch in Sanniquellie, where tensions were briefly calmed.
However, with fresh protests flaring up in Buchanan, observers say WBHO management may have failed to act on the workers’ demands.
A Labor Ministry representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Daily Observer that striking workers have submitted an eight-count complaint. These include demands for job security, medical and insurance benefits, housing support, and a merit-based salary structure.
“They initially demanded US$7,000 per worker in compensation for unpaid benefits, but the Ministry dismissed that figure as not realistic,” the official stated.
MOL Deputy Minister for Labor Standards, Othello Mansua, who presided over the earlier mediation hearing, declined to comment publicly, citing the ongoing nature of the resolution process.
WBHO’s CEO, Mr. Marcus T.K., has also maintained silence since the onset of the strike.
“I cannot say anything to you now until the matter is resolved,” he told Daily Observer on June 11.
WBHO is currently contracted by AML to handle critical operations including ore transportation, road rehabilitation, and the construction of a mini dam near the Yekepa concentrator plant.
Meanwhile, a source in Buchanan clarified to Daily Observer that contrary to early reports, the workers did not set the railway ablaze but used debris and various objects to block it, effectively halting locomotives.
In a related development on Thursday, June 12, workers of Afcon, another AML contractor, staged a separate protest demanding access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation, and fair labor conditions. Afcon is engaged in key infrastructure projects such as the construction of the iron ore concentrator in Yekepa and facilities in Buchanan.
Repeated efforts to contact ArcelorMittal Liberia’s communications team for comment were unsuccessful. One of the company’s public relations officers’ phones rang continuously without an answer.
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