The Human Resource Director of Leone Rock Metal Group (LRMG), Mr. Mohamed Daffe, has in no uncertain terms dismissed allegations of immigration fraud and discrimination against workers at an emergency news briefing held yesterday Thursday 6th June, 2024 at the company’s head office in Freetown.
This development comes following allegations of immigration fraud and discrimination against workers by three local tabloids.
Addressing journalists at the news briefing that was attended by all top-management officials of LRMG, the Human Resource Director, Mohamed Daffe, said about 90% of their employees are Sierra Leoneans and that the companies also has foreign employees who are Chinese nationals, some Ghanaians, Rwandese, South Africans, Europeans, among others. “So you tend to ask yourself how inclusive a workforce can be than what we have,” he queried.
According to the Human Resource Director, their corporate culture revolves around very important hallmarks including respect, noting that workers have respect for one another.
“You cannot have all those types of workforce together if you don’t pride yourself on respect and that is why we keep going; that is why we keep certain standards…,” Mr. Daffe averred.
He stressed that they share with their communities and consult them on their activities, adding that they don’t only share to their communities but they also do it with their staff because they care about their staff. “Whatever we undertake, we do them with the community and that is the level of cooperation we have in the company,” the Human Resource Director averred.
Reacting to media allegations that LRMG workers are not allowed to join trade unions, he said they don't stop any worker from joining a trade union as it is their right to do so, noting that their workers belong to the United Mines Workers Union.
With regards allegations of immigration fraud, Mr. Daffe said LRMG always adheres to all immigration laws and regulations in Sierra Leone, adding that any suggestion of breaking immigration laws is inaccurate and misleading as reported in the three local tabloids.
He therefore urged the media to crosscheck their information before publication instead of publishing false information against reputable companies like LRMG.
The Director of Community Affairs, Ansu Bapoto Momoh, said the company not only complies with the laws and regulations that guide their operations and activities; it also always consults the community people and engages government officials where necessary.
“Our records speak for themselves in terms of community development programmes and there is pictorial evidence of them for the public to see,” Mr. Momoh averred, citing the donation of Le53 billion this year and Le20 billion last year as surface rent and part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Earlier, Ing. Samuel J. Kamara, Head of LRMG, had disclosed that the company has linked up with agencies and they always comply with all licence and tax obligations.
He said they have never reneged on their tax and licence obligations as wrongly reported by the three media houses.
The Legal Director, Svetlana Gaujon, warned the media houses that published the damning allegations against the company to do retraction with immediately effect or the company would take drastic action against them.
The Head of Admin and the Director of Media, Messrs. Dauda Sillah and David, also expressed similar sentiments.