By Amin Kef Sesay
Staff of the Sierra Leone State Lottery (SLSL), on Monday 19th July, 2021, staged a peaceful protest at the SLSL office, Siaka Stevens Street in Freetown, describing the contractor; Accord Logistics as “unfit for Lottery business.”
SLSL is now housing the Bet Salone betting company that has taken over operations. The peaceful sit down protest was held with placards demanding for the intervention of President Julius Maada Bio over the failure of the contractor, Accord Logistics, to honour its obligation according to the terms of the agreement signed with the Sierra Leone State Lottery.
Speaking to this medium in an exclusive interview, President of the Sierra Leone State Lottery Staff Association, Florence Kamara, expressed her dissatisfaction over the Sierra Leone State Lottery company going into an agreement with Accord Logistics (contractor), a partnership agreement that was signed without the involvement of the Management and the Board, adding that prior to the signing of the agreement, the terms of the said agreement were not made known to the staff of the company.
She added that when the contractor commenced operations, it refused to take up the liabilities of the company and as a result, failed to honour its obligation to the staff and that it failed to pay the workers the salaries they were being paid by the company, allowances and other remunerations were abandoned and the conditions of service was drastically interfered with, against the stipulations of the Labour laws of the country.
She furthered that after several attempts to get the contractor to honour its obligations to the staff, they had no alternative, but to stage a peaceful sit down protest with placards demanding for the intervention of President Julius Maada Bio, as Father of the Nation and Fountain of Justice, to settle the impasse.
She disclosed that the Managing Director of Sierra Leone State Lottery and the National Commission for Privatization (NCP) betrayed the staff by signing an agreement without the involvement of the Management and the Board, and they believe that the contractor ‘Accord Logistics’ is “totally unfit for lottery business.”
Responding to the allegation, the Director of Bet Salone, Nicholas Nicol, disclosed that there was a tender for the privatization of State Lottery, which Accord Logistics, owned by a Lebanese national, Johnny Kusha, won.
He said that for the past couple of months, Bet Salone has been paying the salaries of the aggrieved workers who are also demanding for leave allowance, lunch and retirement benefits.
Director Nicolas Nicol indicated that they are prepared to address the concerns of the State Lottery workers in good time and in good faith, with a view to avoiding distress for customers and interruption of their work flow.
On his part, Managing Director of Sierra Leone State Lottery, Jerry E. Gengo, told this medium that the contract signed with Accord Logistics is authentic, as they went through all the right procedures.
On payment of salaries, allowances and other remunerations, he disclosed that the company has paid all salaries of staff, adding that in the area of allowances and other remunerations, they have submitted a priority list, which they will go through to ensure that the ones that are very prompt will be paid.
He said that they have been working with these staff for decades, adding that they are very important and will continue to work with them and will try to look at their concerns.
Chief Executive Officer of Accord Logistics, Johnny Kusha, denied the allegations made by the staff that as a contractor they are unfit for the lottery business, adding that as a contractor, when they took over, they renovated the building with modern facilities, which he said is a clear manifestation that they are fit for the lottery business.
He maintained that during the negotiations of the said agreement, the issues of allowances and other remunerations were not presented to them by the management of the Sierra Leone State Lottery, adding that the company only presented to them the payroll and the liabilities; that is part of the end of service of the staff.
He furthered that the issues of allowances and other remunerations were never mentioned by the management of Sierra Leone State Lottery during the negotiation process and before the signing of the agreement.
This medium will continue to monitor the progress of this matter and update the public accordingly.
