allAfrica.com: Sierra Leone: Still On Gava Forest Industry (Page 1 of 2)

Just after a ban was placed on timber logging nationwide and its exportation by the Sierra Leonean government, I published an article in this media with the headline "On government's ban of timber logging and exportation." The article focused on the award of contract to the Gava Forest Industry Corporation by Privatisation Commission with regards to the logging of timbers in the eastern region of the country.

In the piece, I stated clearly that Gava Forest Industry Corporation's facilities which used to cater for up to two hundred workers were not awarded to the right company. Hence there was a need to revisit most of the influenced contracts awarded under the umbrella of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party government.

From an assessment I made of the Gava Forest Industry Corporation, it was discovered that the company lacked the capacity manpower and equipment to effectively manage the logging of timbers as stipulated by the contract document.

"If the company cannot pay its workers on time; lacks all the basic equipment for operation and boasts of poor production, then what mechanism did the SLPP government use to award the contract? People want to have an answer to this question and they want it from 'papa government' " the article stated.

But since that article was published, no progress has been recorded in solving the suffering of poor Sierra Leoneans who have worked with the company for more than seven months without receiving their salaries.

I was always told by my editor Tanu Jalloh to write on issues especially those that affect community people. It was on the account of that advice that I saw the need to write about the ugly happenings at the Gava Forest so that officials of the Privatisation Commission would read it and intervene by proffering a lasting solution.

As a peaceful citizen, I think it was right for me to have come up with an issue that is affecting people in my community so that appropriate authorities can step in to solve the problem.

But to my dismay, no step has been taken so far and the situation is getting worse by the day. Or is it that those in positions of authority do not read newspapers at all?

From what I understood, the ban on logging was imposed so that the government could properly look into the illegality of logging by some companies.

The imposition of the ban had different interpretations to various people.

What many people had in mind was that there was going to be a revisit of most of the contracts awarded to companies by the Commission.

But this does not seem to be happening. Therefore the same old story of suffering continued.

In a letter dated 1st August, 2008 and addressed to the Chairman, National Commission for Privatisation, workers of the Gava Forest Industry Corporation complained of the most cruel and inhuman treatment by the proprietor and managing director of Gava Edward Owie.

The letter stated that since the company commenced operations in 2006, no worker has been given a letter of appointment to state their condition of services and entitlement.

It further stated that the last salary workers received was dated 24th December 2007 and since then, no other payment has been made up to this moment.

The situation of the workers is really pathetic. I nearly wept while going through the letter especially when they mentioned "...this is seven to eight months period of non-payment.

Several workers have lost their homes for not paying rents. Also, some workers were not able to pay their children's school fees. Further more workers have not been able to feed and even afford better medical treatment for their families." Why a reputable institution with past records of excellent job creation should be privatised to a foreign company that lacks the capacity to operate is the one million dollar question the Privatisation Commission needs to answer for the people of the eastern region who are beneficiaries.

"Gava F.I.C has not gotten the appropriate equipment for timber and forest logging operations. Gava dishonestly took advantage of the free privileges to import logging equipment and instead brought into the country mining equipment which no one questioned," the workers stated in the letter of complaint.

The workers themselves have said it time and again that Gava is incompetent to operate the industry.

As if it is a premeditated deal to totally abandon the workers, Edward Owie who is nowhere to be found, has handed over the company to a French investor who have sacked all past workers and has brought in his workers from Mobai in Kailahnu District.

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