By: Precious Miracle Kargbo (Intern)
As part of their mandate to ensure positive economic, social and moral status of the state, Vice President of the Sierra Leone Traders Union, Vandi Lansana has publicly stated that traders are not party of any unlawful protest and strongly condemn the act.
Firstly, Mr. Vandi issues out that as a registered union if they are faced with any constraint or felt the need to do any demonstration, they will follow the due process. He furthers that as a council they have been provided the will power and accessibility by law to write and request for strike or demonstrations based on deadlock or negotiations and at the current state he publicly and clearly maintained that the trader’s union is not a part and parcel of any planned protest.
Lansana went further to ascertain that trader’s council formally received a call from the Internal Affairs Minister, on the rumored protest but the council has received those calls and out rightly declared with them that they have no hand in that activity based on the fact that these people want to use traders as scape-goat to execute this strike action.
He mentioned traders faced with several challenges during a nationwide protest. Firstly, difficulties to travel from one point to another because majority of traders do live in the outskirts of the city. The next, is that business shops and stores can be closed and that can cause another problem for traders to carry on with their activities because no trader will sell when shops are close while their goods are been locked up in those stores. Too much Security around town can cause panic and it is an issue that can cause traders not to do their daily routine due to fear.
Meanwhile, he confirmed that through their engagement with Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rtd General Taluva (Minister) reassured the Traders Council of no security threat and they will work hand in hand to ensure that every trader is safe during the execution of their trading duty.
Furthermore, on the engagement process, he asserts that the council has been in touch with all trading constituents following the discussion from the meeting in order to clarify to them that traders have no business in strike actions and to carefully read their rights and responsibilities that they owe and should execute in the state. “We have been encouraged to come out and do our various businesses and if there is any issue around that are affecting them as traders council will step in and contact the rightful authority to get that issue sorted out.” Vandi intimated.
He also admonished that the Minister of Internal affairs has been in constant communication with Transportation sectors and that traders should be rest assured that there will be vehicles up and running on Monday and Tuesday when it is time to carry on with their activities.
Conclusively, Mr. Lansana stated that the Traders council is in full engagement with all market structures including the ordinary man and even the new media to educate the public that there will be strike action from the traders union and to warn all their members not be a part of such, “it is only when you come out for the day that you will get your daily living,” he concluded.