The National Port Authority (NPA) and the Dock Workers Union of Liberia (DOWUL) have finalized a major labor milestone, signing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) after a decade-long delay that left workers without updated benefits and protections.
The signing ceremony, held at the NPA Corporate Headquarters, drew visible excitement from employees who described the moment as long overdue. Present were Board Chairman Rev. Dr. J. Luther Tarpeh, Managing Director Sekou A. M. Dukuly, Deputy Managing Director for Administration James R. Bernard, Deputy Managing Director for Operations Emmanuel Horton, and DOWUL’s President General.
According to the NPA, the agreement is one of the most significant labor gains in the institution’s recent history. The new CBA strengthens worker rights, aligns all employment decisions with the NPA Employee Handbook and the Decent Work Act, and introduces several long-requested benefits.
These include a 10 percent salary increase, a non-taxable US$50 food allowance, medical and life insurance for all employees, and a two-year death benefit that keeps a deceased worker on payroll for 24 months. The agreement also provides a clearer system for promotions and increments, which will now be performance based and tied to operational capacity and Board-approved budgets.
Managing Director Dukuly described the CBA as a testament to the Authority’s renewed commitment to fairness, accountability, and improved working conditions. Board Chairman Dr. Tarpeh praised the leadership of the workers’ union and reaffirmed the Board’s ongoing support to strengthen labor relations.
The new agreement is also being positioned as a key achievement under the NPA’s RESET Agenda, establishing a more transparent and predictable framework for employee welfare moving forward.
