Employees at the Ministry of Finance have unanimously resolved to hold a mass meeting this Friday, July 5, 2012 on the ground floor of the ministry at mid day.

The meeting which follows recent meeting Minister Amara Konneh had with directors is being cited by the Interim Secretary General of the workers union, Jallah T. Kekulah.

According to a CSA inter-office circular in the possession of this paper, dated July 3, 2012, Minister Konneh has not been specific on the fiscal management team position on the current status of employees and staff benefits in the wake of the stand-off between employees and authorities of the ministry on the current issue.

Many of the employees told our reporter that since Minister Konneh took over the ministry there has been no better amity between him and the workers. They said he continues to remove employees and replace them with his kinsmen from the ‘Mandingo’ ethnic group.

The employees noted that in one of the meetings, Minister Konneh told directors that he has chosen reform over politics, hence the approach to the issue relative to special allowance will change but his position remains unchanged noting, "if I get burned in the process, so be it".

The employees making bellowing noise at the ministry have threatened to boycott work if Minister konneh did not properly address the issue of their benefits and special allowance.

Our reporter who toured the ministry said he saw many workers talking about Konneh’s reform policy as being capable of endangering the administrative policy of the ministry.

The reporter also observed that the Ministry of Finance has a multiple media factions- one headed by Sidiki Trawally who once headed the LRDC project at Planning Ministry, and the other headed by Mr. Edward Spencer who has served the public relations arm of the ministry over decades.

Some employees told the reporter that Mr. Spencer who heads the public relations arm of the ministry over twenty years has been sidelined by the Konneh’s administration and the functions dedicated to Sidiki Trawally whom they said does not know the inner workings of the ministry’s information service.

When contacted, the press attaché to Minister Amara Konneh only identified as Amsumani Konneh, said it is a sensitive issue and thus he does not have authority to speak but he will meet the relevant authority on the matters.