Liberian teachers strike for salary increases, transportation, and benefits,
Summary
In Liberia, a small country on the west coast of Africa, the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS) oversaw all public schools in the capital city of Monrovia. [source: nv-database]
Its three main high school campuses were William V.S. [source: nv-database]
Tubman, G.W.
Gibson, and D-Tweh High School. [source: nv-database]
As of 2013, enrollment in MCSS schools totaled over 20,000 students. [source: nv-database]
Tactics used
Tactics used
- boycotts and strikes
- marches
- declarations-of-indictment-and-intention
- banners-posters-and-displayed-communications
- blockades
- declarations-by-organizations-and-institutions
Background
The Monrovia Consolidated School System Teachers Association (MCSSTA) had continually tried to engage constructively with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who had been in office since 2006, asking for higher wages so that teachers could have a decent standard of living. [source: nv-database]
MCSSTA President Benedict Wreh stated that teacher salaries in Liberia normally ranged from 140 to 500 US dollars per month, but the lowest paid teachers barely made over 100 dollars. [source: nv-database]
President Sirleaf continually claimed that the government could not afford to raise teacher salaries until “ghost names” were removed from teacher payrolls, to which the government claimed, as of 2012, they had lost more than 20 million dollars. [source: nv-database]
What happened
On 13 September 2012, MCSSTA executives held a joint session with the MCSS Faculty Representative Council and passed resolutions calling on the Central Government to increase salaries of the teachers and support staff. They said that janitors should be paid a minimum of 200 US dollars, $250 for entry-level certified teachers with C Certificates up to $750 for Master degree holders. They demanded that government provide at least four buses for transporting MCSS teachers or add travel allowances to their salaries. They also demanded that the government provide scholarship opportunities for advancement of teachers’ education. MCSSTA informed the government that on Thursday 11 October 2012, they would call on all MCSS teachers to lay down their chalk and engage in a strike action until government meets their demands. On 10 October, teachers announced an indefinite “GO SLOW” strike action, and by Monday, 15 October, teachers at G.W. Gibson, D-Tweh, William V.S. Tubman high schools and Matilda Newport Junior High School had deserted their classrooms, and MCSSTA secretary M. Glen Mason issued a statement to the government formally listing teacher demands. MCSSTA called on teachers to calmly and quietly leave their posts and join the cause in gaining new respect and hope for the honorable profession of teaching. Teachers from several other public schools in Monrovia soon joined the MCSS teachers’ strike. The government asked the teachers to return to work, stating that it would address their demands early next year after the government removed ghost names from payrolls. Teachers ignored these initial pleas as President Sirleaf had not even yet conceded to meet with MCSSTA executives. Public school students were frustrated about missing school while private schools still held classes. As teachers entered the second full week of their strike, students promised that if government did not intervene, they would take to the streets in demonstration. On 22 October, over 1,000 students from all MCSS schools marched to the president’s office and engaged in a stand in until President Sirleaf agreed to meet with them. Students, most wearing their school uniforms, carried placards reading phrases such as, “Madam President, we seek your intervention” and “We don’t want to use force.” Students set up road blockades around the demonstration and greatly impeded traffic in one of th. [source: nv-database]
Key people & organizations
- Benedict Wreh [source: nv-database]
- M. Glen Mason [source: nv-database]
- Henry G. Woyea [source: nv-database]
- MCSS students [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: partial.
Per the source’s scoring rubric, the campaign scored 2 out of 6 points on achieving specific demands/goals, 1 out of 1 points on survival, and 2 out of 3 points on growth — for 5 out of 10 points overall. [source: nv-database]
Teachers did gain some salary increments, though they fell far short of what teachers initially demanded. Teachers also won on the demand that the CSA be mandated to acquire signed consent before it can deduct from teacher salaries. A lack of communication caused some confusion over when strike actions were called off. [source: nv-database]
Lessons
- A campaign can survive and grow even when its core demands are not met — sustaining an organization matters as much as immediate wins.
- Teachers did gain some salary increments, though they fell far short of what teachers initially demanded. [source: nv-database]
- Public marches and assemblies create visibility but require shielding from state repression to remain effective.
- Economic pressure through strikes remains a core lever for labor and pro-democracy campaigns in West Africa.
Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database —
[[nv-database]]
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Built: 2026-07-04 from GNVAD content via T1 balance pipeline.