By: Ceedor T. Roberts,, Reporter|Ablee-Jay Media
IPNEWS: In a decisive move to uphold workersโ rights, the Ministry of Labor has ordered two hiring firms operating at the Liberia Agriculture Company in Grand Bassa County to refund an estimated US$18,500 to hundreds of employees who were paid below Liberiaโs legally mandated minimum wage.
The ruling, announced Friday during a press conference in Congo Town, affects approximately 550 workers employed through two labor contractors Arthur Peters and George Vunziar.
Labor Minister Cooper Kruah disclosed that the violations stretch back several years. According to the Minister, Arthur Peters, which employs 213 workers, has been paying laborers US$3.38 per day since 2019 significantly below the statutory minimum wage. Meanwhile, George Vunziar, employing 326 workers since 2022, has been paying US$3.80 per day, also under the legal threshold.
โThis action demonstrates our commitment to protecting Liberian workers and ensuring compliance with the labor law,โ Minister Kruah stated firmly, signaling that the government will not tolerate wage violations that undermine workersโ livelihoods.
The findings reveal a troubling pattern of underpayment affecting workers over extended periods. For many of the affected employees, the wage gap represents not just lost income, but years of financial strain in a country where agricultural work often serves as a primary source of survival for families.
The ordered US$18,500 in back pay will be distributed retroactively to the impacted workers, compensating them for the difference between what they were paid and what they should have received under Liberiaโs minimum wage law.
The Ministryโs intervention sends a clear warning to labor contractors and companies operating across Liberia: compliance with wage regulations is not optional. Authorities emphasized that inspections and enforcement actions will continue, particularly in sectors employing large numbers of vulnerable workers.
Labor advocates say the decision could mark a turning point for contract workers in Liberiaโs agricultural sector, where outsourcing arrangements sometimes blur accountability between companies and hiring firms.
For the hundreds of employees in Grand Bassa County, the ruling represents more than a refund it is a long-awaited acknowledgment of their rights and the value of their labor.
As the Ministry of Labor intensifies oversight, all eyes will now be on whether the firms comply promptly and whether further investigations may uncover additional violations elsewhere in the sector.
