Kakata: In demand of the reinstatement of the “suspended/removed” Principal of the Booker T. Washington Institute Harris Fomba Tarnue, several workers of the institution through the Workers Union have threatened to stage a go-slow action on Thursday, June 13, 2019.
It can be recalled that Mr. Tarnue in May of 2019 received letters from the Board of Governors signed by the Minister of Education, Professor Dao Ansu Sonii suspending and at the same time relieving him of his post based on a resolution from the Board.
In the resolution, the Board accused Mr. Tarnue of “nepotism, administrative improprieties and gross disrespect” to the Board of governors. Mr. Tarnue in response described the Board’s decision as being preconceived.
Since then, the Booker Washington Institute Workers Union has been engaging central government and the Union reportedly wrote President George Manneh Weah informing him that Mr. Tarnue enjoys the confidence of the workers while other board members and other Liberians have been engaging the president to have Mr. Tarnue reinstated.
But Mr. Tarnue is yet to be reinstated as such; the Workers through the Union have said they will begin a go-slow action beginning Thursday, June 13, 2019.
The President of the Booker Washington Institute Workers Union (BOWIWU) Foday Rogers said members of the Union will go on campus and sign in their daily attendance books as of Thursday but will not work. He disclosed that the go-slow will be peaceful contrary to rumors that are being spread by detractors that the workers will be on a strike and will be demonstrating.
The decision according to Mr. Rogers was unanimously reached by the general assembly which he said is the highest decision making body of the Workers Union during a meeting held on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, on the campus of the BWI.
He stated that their decision is based on what he termed as the reported refusal of the Chairman of the Board of Governors, John Youboty to call a Board meeting as was directed by the legal advisor to President Weah.
Mr. Rogers “What really cause us to take this decision in a general assembly is that Mr. John Youboty was called to the Foreign Ministry where the President’s office is and the legal advisor told him to convey a Board meeting because he said he alone could not do it, so they told him to convey a Board meeting and he agreed; Board meeting should have been held yesterday and he called back and said most of the Board members are out of the Country”.
He also termed Mr. Youboty’s response to the Executive Mansion that says most of the Board members are out of the Country as being deceptive contradicting on grounds that President Weah placed a moratorium on travel by government officials indicating that 86% of the Board members are government officials.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rogers has termed as illegal the removal of Mr. Tarnue by the Board of Governors; a body he said does not have the authority to appoint or dismiss the Principal of BWI.
He narrated that it is the President of the Republic of Liberia that has the sole-responsibility to appoint and dismiss any Principal of the Institution.
“We just want to recount our position that Mr. Harris Fomba Tarnue enjoys the confidence as workers Union of BWI commonly known as BOWIWU and we still maintain our position that decision taken by some members of the Board to suspend or remove as they contradicted in their letter is condemnable and is illegal,” he said.
The BOWIWU President added that their go-slow action will continue until Mr. Tarnue is reinstated.
He, at the same time, mentioned that Mr. James W. Walker appointment as Acting Principal is illegal as such, he is not recognized as Principal thereby calling on his colleagues not to feel threaten because Mr. Walker will not do anything to any of them.
