The Wise Bird loves Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans and that is more the reason the bird is doing everything humanly possible to properly inform Sierra Leoneans accurately and accordingly.

The bird is actually in sympathy with workers in the public sector in terms of their salaries and wages.

The brave bird has been following how salaries and wages are paid to them over the years.

The Wise Bird jumped sky-high when he got the news that the present Minister of Employment Labour and Social Security Mr. Mohamed Rahman Swaray has said that the Employment Act of 2023 has a provision that says there has to be a Joint National Negotiating Board for the negotiation for wages adjustment.

However, the Wise Bird is not an employee of government but his friend, the Eagle, works for government and so the bird is very happy to hear about the planned negotiations for increase of wages.

Let’s take for instance, if a worker receives Nle 800 per month and a bag of rice is sold Nle 875, and that worker has to pay for transport to and from workplace every day; he has to give launch-fee to children, pay medical bills, electricity bills and he will have to sort out other related problems in the family circle.

With only the Nle 800 monthly, how does the government expect that particular worker to be committed to work with all these problems on his/her head? That’s just impossible.

The Wise Bird was very happy when he was told that the Minister himself acknowledges the fact that things are very, very difficult in the country for people.

In Sierra Leone, today, people live miraculous life and it seems everybody is a manager.

When one meets a friend on the road and asks him/her how are things are he/she will reply to another I am managing (meaning coping with the harsh realities of life).

The Wise Bird has noticed that, the prices of essential commodities continue to increase on a daily basis as government cannot control the prices of essential goods.

If at a time like this, government decides to increase wages through negotiating bodies, which will add feathers to their caps.

But the Wise Bird is very much pessimistic over the increase of wages especially when the government is presently crying over lack of funds.

Some educated people usually express this quotation that, “it is easier said than done.”

The Wise Bird as usual went out to get the views of people on the issue, it got mixed reactions from people; some respondents are optimistic while others are pessimistic on the wages lift ahead.

The bird only hopes that, the Minister and by extension the government stands by what they have said.