MONROVIA –The President of the Sinoe County Bar Association, Cllr. K. Jlayteh Sayor, has issued a stern ultimatum to the management of the National Port Authority (NPA), threatening legal action over what he describes as an unlawful appointment at the Greenville Port in Sinoe County.
By Willie N. Tokpah
Cllr. Sayor has challenged the NPA’s decision to engage former Sinoe County Senator, J. Milton Teahjay, as Director of the Greenville Port, arguing that the appointment violates Liberia’s labor and civil service laws.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmem from abroad, Cllr. Sayor contended that Senator Teahjay, who is 70 years old, has exceeded the statutory retirement age and therefore cannot lawfully occupy a position that is, by law and long-standing administrative practice, a civil service post.
According to the Sinoe Bar President, although the NPA reportedly classified Senator Teahjay as a “consultant,” he is allegedly performing the full operational duties of Port Director, including administrative oversight and management of port staff.
“This is not a consultancy in substance,” Cllr. Sayor said. “It is a civil service position disguised by name to evade the law.”
Cllr. Sayor maintained that the arrangement constitutes a clear violation of Section 1.5(d) of the Decent Work Act of 2015, which provides that an individual shall be presumed an employee, regardless of contract title, if any one of several statutory conditions is met.
The law presumes an employment relationship where a person, among other things, works under the control or direction of an entity, has working hours determined by that entity, is integrated into the organization, works continuously, is economically dependent on the entity, or uses tools and equipment provided by the employer.
“The law is explicit,” Cllr. Sayor emphasized. “Only one of these conditions is sufficient to establish an employment relationship under Liberian law.”
He argued that the role of Port Director at the Greenville Port satisfies multiple criteria outlined in the Act, including being embedded within the NPA’s management structure, exercising authority over port personnel, performing full-time operational duties, and forming part of Liberia’s national port and public service framework.
“These are unmistakable indicators of a civil service position, not a consultancy,” he said.
The Sinoe County Bar Association President stressed that Liberian labour law prioritizes substance over form, warning that reclassifying a civil service role as a consultancy does not alter its legal character.
“Public service appointment rules, including tenure and retirement provisions, cannot be lawfully avoided through creative labeling,” Cllr. Sayor said. “Calling it a consultancy does not change the legal reality.”
The controversy has reignited a broader national debate over political patronage, the enforcement of retirement laws, and the exclusion of young professionals from public service opportunities.
Cllr. Sayor pointed out that Senator Teahjay’s age exceeds the retirement threshold established under both the Decent Work Act and the Civil Service Act.
“I am not opposed to former Senator Teahjay serving his country,” he clarified. “He can be appointed as a minister or serve as a board chairperson. But the position of Port Director is a civil service post, and by law, he can no longer occupy it.”
He accused NPA management of deliberately attempting to circumvent the law by appointing Senator Teahjay as a consultant while allowing him to function as Port Director.
“This is wrong, unlawful, and unacceptable,” Cllr. Sayor warned. “If the NPA management refuses to correct this illegality, we will have no choice but to seek redress in court.”
The matter has since generated widespread public discussion, raising concerns about respect for the rule of law, compliance with labor regulations, and the urgent need to open public-sector employment opportunities to Liberia’s younger generation.
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