A USAID contractor, RTI International, is now subject to legal action after reportedly refusing to properly compensate employees whose contracts it terminated after USAID ended its projects in Liberia.
Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has canceled hundreds of USAID projects around the world as it dismantles USAID, which it accuses of wastefulness and of advancing liberal causes. Liberia has seen dozens of projects canceled by USAID, the West African country's largest development partner.
RTI International operated two USAID-funded projects in Liberia - the US$20 million Food Security Nutrition and Resilience activity (FSNR) and the US$24 million Transforming the Education System for Teachers and Students in Liberia activity (TESTS). Both projects were shut down by the Trump administration.
Per Liberian labor regulations, RTI International must pay for benefits owed until the end of the contract. The two employees suing the USAID contractor, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, say RTI International is skirting Liberian laws by not paying employees their proper benefits.
Since they decided to challenge the organization, they say they have been intimidated and bullied. Initially, RTI International withheld their March salaries to deliberately pressure them into submission. However, one of the staff emailed RTI International's senior vice president for Human Resources in the U.S., resulting in the organization caving and paying their March salaries.
Additionally, the company agreed to allow all staff to keep their work laptops at the end of the project, but they withheld those devices from the two staff who demanded their legal benefits.
It is not clear why RTI International is so adamant in denying the legal benefits of its fixed-term staff when other USAID projects are complying with Liberian law. Inquiries were made at six other USAID-funded projects where employees confirmed that those projects have complied with labor regulations and are paying their former employees who were hired on fixed-term contracts appropriately.
In an email communication between the company's senior leaders and the aggrieved staff, RTI International cited "force majeure", a legal concept that refers to an event that is unforeseeable, unavoidable, and beyond the control of the parties involved in a contract.
Typically, it can excuse both parties from fulfilling their obligations. This is a stance that has been reiterated by the RTI International's defiant chief of party Michael Tewolde Ghebrab in a failed mediation conference after the two former staff asked the Labour Ministry to intervene.
However, RTI International's force majeure claim is unusual, given that the company is donating assets, including four Toyota Landcruiser's that were purchased over three years ago for US$35,000 each. Those assets are being distributed to organizations that RTI International has no legal obligation to provide those donations to, unlike its legal obligations to the two employees.
Moreover, all USAID contractors submit reimbursement requests to the U.S. government for necessary and lawful expenses that come as a result of doing their job. When the U.S. government decided to cancel all USAID projects, it came with the understanding that they would be responsible for paying for any lawful costs associated with the closure. Moreover, the U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that the U.S. government must pay contractors for work it obligated them to.
The aggrieved former employees say RTI International is simply trying to avoid meeting its legal responsibilities in Liberia and is depriving honest working Liberians of benefits to which they are entitled and the Liberian government of much-needed revenues.
"I don't understand why the company will give away vehicles for free and claim that it's not able to pay. RTI International's actions don't only violate our rights, but it also deprives the Liberian government of much-needed tax revenues," one said. "When RTI International refuses to pay our just benefits, they also avoid paying the government the appropriate amount in payroll and income taxes, preventing almost US$10,000 from going to the government."
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
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