MONROVIA, October 14 (LINA) - The Liberian Senate has cited the Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA) to appear on Thursday, October 14, to clarify allegations of a permanent dismissal of non-essential government staff.

According to the Liberia News Agency, the body took the decision Tuesday following the reading of a communication dated October 13 from Senators Geraldine Doe Sheriff of Montserrado and George Tengbeh of Lofa Counties, informing the body of a request by the CSA to government ministries and agencies to submit names of “non-essential staff”, to be removed from the payroll permanently.

According to the two senators, dismissing employed Liberian citizens who were sent home indefinitely as a result of the Ebola crisis “is untimely and poses serious threat” to the democratic tenets of the government.

“We are in possession of a communication dated October 2, 2014, from the CSA boss addressed to Mildred N. Sayon, Clerk of the lower House, inviting the Internal Reform Committee (IRC), for the implementation of a decision that was
taken in cabinet on the position of dismissing the non-essential staff,” the Senators noted.

The Senators said the essence of sending the non-essential staff home during this time of the Ebola crisis is to avoid overcrowding of government ministries and agencies, to prevent further spread of the Ebola virus.

It can be recalled that during the second outbreak of the Ebola virus, the government announced the “Stay Home Order of non-essential staff”, which has since been extended twice.
The government promised to pay the staff regular salaries and other benefits.
LINAWTD/TSS/PTK/JKW