MONROVIA, LIBERIA-The Labor Ministry has swiftly intervened and averted a looming industrial strike at sea ports across Liberia.

Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah, on Thursday, July 24, 2025, held several hours of a crisis resolution conference with officials of the United Seamen, Ports and General Workers Union of Liberia, the top management team of the National Port Authority (NPA), and APM Terminals at the ministry in Monrovia.

The crisis resolution conference called by Minister Kruah stemmed from a complaint filed by the leadership of the United Seamen Ports and General Workers Union of Liberia, in which APM Terminals Management was accused of reneging on several counts of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in 2022, involving the Stevedores section of the union.

The CBA stipulated a new wage rate of twenty-one dollars and seventy-five cents for the workers, which was not honored by APM Terminal Management, thus triggering the workers’ planned industrial unrest.

A Labor Ministry release quotes Minister Kruah as calling on APM Terminals and the NPA Management to ensure full compliance with all counts of the CBA to prevent future disputes.

The release further quotes the labor minister as prevailing on the NPA and APM Terminals Management Teams to adopt a more proactive strategy in handling workers’ concerns.

The APM Terminals Management consented to the Minister’s directive to immediately pay all outstanding financial benefits owed to workers.

For their parts, NPA Managing Director Sekou Dukuly and APM Terminals Managing Director Clay Crain lauded Minister Cooper Kruah for his swift and amicable resolution of the dispute.