Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. Tensions have erupted at the Sierra Leone Postal Service (SALPOST), where over 65 workers have gone on strike to demand eight months of unpaid wages a crisis rooted in the loss of Air France’s Freetown route in 2023, which had previously generated the bulk of the agency’s revenue.
Edward Yerimeh Kamara, General Secretary of the Sierra Leone Union of Postal and Telecommunication Employees (SULPTE), stated that despite repeated meetings with SALPOST management, no resolution has been reached, even after a formal 21-day strike notice was issued on July 1st highlighting the agency’s deepening financial crisis, which has left it with a monthly deficit of NLe330,000 and unable to meet its NLe640,000 in expenses, including staff salaries.
Kamara revealed that although SALPOST recently secured a partnership with Japan Postal Operators, the anticipated funding will only address two months of salary arrears, leaving the majority of the eight month backlog unresolved and retirees still waiting for their unpaid termination benefits.
Workers have accused SALPOST’s leadership of deepening the financial crisis by hiring six senior staff members including two retirees on contract despite being unable to pay existing employees, a move they say undermines cost-cutting efforts.
As digital transformation continues to challenge traditional postal services, SALPOST explores modernization, but striking workers insist that immediate salary payments must come first, vowing not to relent until their demands are met.
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