The National Port Authority (NPA) has ended a decade-long wait for improved worker benefits after signing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Dock Workers Union of Liberia (DOWUL) and the Liberia Labour Congress. The agreement, finalized at the NPA Corporate Headquarters, drew loud approval from employees who had waited ten years for updated protections and welfare provisions.
The signing ceremony brought together key figures of the Authority and the labor community, including Board Chairman Rev. Dr. J. Luther Tarpeh, Managing Director Hon. Sekou A. M. Dukuly, Deputy Managing Director for Administration Hon. James R. Bernard, Deputy Managing Director for Operations Hon. Emmanuel Horton, and the President General of DOWUL. Their efforts produced what many officials described as one of the most forward-looking labor agreements in the NPA’s recent history.
Under the new CBA, worker rights are strengthened and formally aligned with the NPA Employee Handbook and the Decent Work Act. The agreement provides a ten-percent salary increase, a non-taxable US$50 food allowance, comprehensive life and medical insurance, and a death benefit that keeps a deceased employee on the payroll for twenty-four months. It also introduces a performance-based system for promotions and salary increments, contingent on operational needs and Board-approved budgets.
Managing Director Dukuly noted that the agreement reflects the Authority’s commitment to fairness, accountability, and better working conditions for all employees. Board Chairman Dr. Tarpeh praised the union leadership for its persistence and reaffirmed the Board’s readiness to support the implementation of the new terms.
The signing of the CBA represents a major advancement in labor reform under the RESET Agenda and establishes a more transparent and predictable framework for employee welfare at the National Port Authority.
