Shandong forges terminal benefit policy in violation of labour laws in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone's labour ministry has warned Chinese owned Shandong Steel, the largest iron ore miner, against violating labour laws that require the company to pay in full all terminal benefits due senior national employees.

The OpenTax Initiative has seen leaked private and confidential emails between the company's London based financial adviser, Miguel Perry, and a local expatriate manager in Freetown, Anthony Navo, show that they had forged a payment formula to calculate terminal benefits.

In a letter dated 24 April 2018 from the ministry and addressed to the Managing Director of Shandong Steel, acting commissioner of labour, John Kallon, said the company's policy was against the law and that they would resist any attempt to shortchange the staff.

"This is to acknowledge receipt of the Terminal Benefit Policy for senior national employees of your institution brought to the ministry on 23 April, 2018 for discussion by your human resource manager. On perusing the document, I find out that the document was not attested by the ministry of labour as required by law," the letter states.

See full report of our month-long investigation that also detailed the checkered tax profile of the company next week.