IPNEWS: The Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) is experiencing a major transformation under the leadership of business magnate Upjit Singh Sachdeva.
The company has initiated a significant housing project designed to enhance the living standards of its employees. Currently, construction is in progress for over 300 modern two-bedroom apartments, with 50 units already finished and ready to be allocated soon.
This effort follows years of criticism regarding inadequate living conditions during the tenure of the previous owner, Socfin, which cited financial difficulties and labor disputes as reasons for selling the company in mid-2023.
Employees have commended the new management’s initiatives. Longtime SRC workers, Junior and Yamah Dean, expressed their appreciation, noting that the project brings hope for an improved working environment.
In addition to the housing project, SRC has also refurbished schools and clinics, while extending support to the community by distributing gifts to more than 5,000 workers and children during the holiday season.
Moreover, Mr. Sachdeva’s philanthropic efforts extend beyond the plantation. Over 1,800 inmates at the Monrovia and Kakata Central Prisons received hot meals, along with 1,200 disadvantaged youth in the capital.
Mr. Sachdeva, often referred to as Jeety, stressed that treating workers with respect and aiding those in need is beneficial for all. He aspires for these initiatives to establish a new benchmark for plantation management in Liberia.
Recently, Jeety Rubber LLC, a subsidiary of the Jeety Conglomerate, has announced the imminent reopening of the Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC), along with its affiliated schools and clinics.
The disclosure by Jeety Rubber came weeks after its founder, business tycoon Upjit Singh Sachdeva, acquired SRC from its parent company, Socfin, a Belgian-French agricultural conglomerate. Socfin cited years of financial losses and violent workers’ protests in mid-June over housing conditions, medical care for work-related injuries, and other demands as key reasons for its decision to divest its SRC operations.
The reopening of SRC, according to Sachdeva, is in the advanced stages, and operations will commence soon, although no specific date was disclosed.
“In the soonest possible time, Salala Rubber Corporation will return to business, create jobs, and continue to provide critical social services,” said Sachdeva (Jeety) during a tour of the company with the people of Weala, Margibi County, on September 7.
SRC, Liberia’s fourth-largest rubber-producing and processing company, has been a major player in the Liberian economy, employing over 800 workers, the majority of whom are tappers. Its shutdown in June led to the layoff of the entire workforce — many of whom are from local communities.
SRC’s troubles with its workers occurred on June 27 amid a campaign by the workers’ union to obtain a collective bargaining agreement that would guarantee better housing conditions, medical care for work-related injuries, a reduction in harvesting quotas, and other improvements.
The company management agreed to address some of the union’s demands but said they would not pay the workers for the days they spent on strike. This refusal spurred some rubber tappers to ransack the company headquarters, which were set on fire along with the private residence of the plantation’s manager, who was briefly detained by workers before being freed by company security.
However, SRC’s acquisition by Jeety Rubber LLC is expected to maintain its status as a major player in the Liberian economy, saving the more than 800 jobs that were lost — as the company requires a strong workforce to operate its 4,400-hectare rubber plantation.
In addition to the factory’s reopening, Sachdeva made it clear that SRC’s associated institutions, such as its schools and clinics, will also resume operations as soon as possible. The schools and clinics, which provided education to the children of SRC workers and offered essential healthcare services to employees and local residents alike, respectively, have been closed since the June protest. The closure had left many families without access to these vital services, deepening the impact of the company’s dormancy.
“Your patience and resilience have not gone unnoticed,” Sachdeva told the workers during his address. “We are on the path to recovery, and soon, you will see SRC standing strong once again.”
The company, which was formed in July 2007 through the merger of a stand-alone rubber processing factory (Weala Rubber Company) and a stand-alone rubber plantation (formerly Salala Rubber Corporation), has been accused for years by its workers, Green Advocates, and other international rights groups of poor working conditions and causing significant harm to local communities, including land grabbing, environmental degradation, and human rights abuses.
In a release announcing its sale, Socfinaf S.A. noted that “despite this divestment, the Socfin Group shall remain fully committed to implementing SRC’s 2023 Action Plan based on the findings of the Earthworm Foundation’s on-site investigation.”
“This includes resolving land compensation issues and access to sacred sites,” Socfinaf S.A. said in a press release issued from its headquarters in Luxembourg on August 27. “The new shareholder recognizes the importance of the Action Plan for the local communities and is supportive of its implementation.”
Jeety Rubber LLC, which is also based in Weala, the same as SRC, buys and processes rubber into finished and semi-finished products, including TSR 10, for shipment. The company has struggled lately to source enough latex cup lumps to operate its factory at full capacity. The company requires a minimum of 225 tons of latex (cup lumps) daily and 6,750 tons monthly to run the factory 24 hours a day.
“This purchase of SRC, a concessionaire, moves Jeety Rubber from the category of processor into the category of both processor and concessionaire, thereby giving it immense leverage to achieve its goal of producing Made in Liberia rubber products, including latex gloves and tires, in the short and long term,” the company said.
