By Emmanuel M. Kangar, Jr.
HARBEL CITY — Tensions within the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL) escalated on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, as majority Workplace Representatives staged a peaceful march to the union’s headquarters in Harbel City, demanding the immediate resignation of Chairman Rodennick M. Bongorlee.
The demonstration follows a recent decision by forty of the union’s fifty-seven Workplace Representatives to pass a vote of no confidence against Bongorlee, accusing him of actions they claim undermine the union’s integrity and solidarity.
Reading a petition on behalf of the aggrieved representatives, Charles Fatomah outlined eight allegations against the embattled chairman. The accusations include alleged lack of accountability, loss of representative status, conflict of interest, failure to support union solidarity, undermining the union’s position, obstruction of union activities, nepotism, and disregard for collective decisions.
The representatives also reaffirmed their support for FAWUL Co-Chair Winston Ford, whose recent redundancy by Firestone Liberia management has sparked controversy among workers at the plantation.
Many workers believe Ford’s dismissal, along with seven other employees from the company’s Community Affairs Department, was politically motivated and intended to weaken his reported bid for the union’s chairmanship.
Several Workplace Representatives further accused Chairman Bongorlee of siding with company management against members of the union’s leadership, deepening divisions within the organization.
In a dramatic turn of events during Tuesday’s gathering, Bongorlee reportedly appeared at the union headquarters to receive the petition from the representatives. However, instead of addressing the petition, he allegedly attempted to present and read his own statement, a move that the protesting representatives rejected. The situation ended with Bongorlee walking away from the headquarters without formally responding to the petitioners’ concerns.
Despite the growing pressure, Bongorlee has maintained that due process should be followed in handling the allegations against him. He has called on his colleagues within the union to allow established procedures to take their course before any final decision is made.
The unfolding dispute has drawn significant attention from Liberia’s labor community, with many closely monitoring the next steps of the majority Workplace Representatives and the potential impact the leadership crisis could have on industrial harmony at the Firestone plantation.
