By Faculty and staff declare no confidence in top 3 administrators, halt all academic work over pay and benefits
By: The People News Online
MONROVIA, Liberia – The University of Liberia came to a standstill Friday after the University of Liberia Faculty Association and the University of Liberia Staff Association announced an indefinite disengagement from all academic and administrative activities.
Following a General Assembly, ULFA and ULSA passed a vote of no confidence in three top officials: the university president, the acting vice president for fiscal affairs and finance, and the associate vice president for human resources.
The unions said they will stay away from classrooms, offices, and all university operations until 5 key demands are met: NASSCORP benefits, a 40% salary increment, adjustment of salary disparities, change of staff status, and operational funding for various units.
The resolution directs all faculty and staff to remain off campus “until further notice from the leadership of ULFA and ULSA.”
The timing raises hard questions
The shutdown comes at a time when, according to observers on campus, academic activities have been running without major interruption since the current president took office. Enrollment, registration, and semester operations have largely continued.
That contrast is fueling debate across Monrovia:
Is faculty/staff welfare the only issue, or is there resistance to reform?
ULFA and ULSA cite long-standing grievances over pay, benefits, and funding. Those issues have plagued UL for years. But critics are asking if the no-confidence vote is also aimed at administrative changes the current leadership has pushed since taking over — changes that may be blocking old patterns of informal deals and discretionary spending.
Why now?
If academic activities have been “in full swing,” what triggered an indefinite walkout at this moment? Is this about unpaid benefits, or about who controls the university’s budget and hiring?
Is there a “system” being disrupted?
Some voices on campus are asking bluntly: is there a cartel of entrenched interests — in procurement, payroll, and HR — that benefited from the old way of doing things and now sees reform as a threat? The unions have not made that claim. The administration has not responded publicly to the no-confidence vote as of press time.
What both sides are saying
The unions frame this as a fight for dignity and sustainability. Without NASSCORP coverage, fair pay, and operational funds, they argue, the university cannot deliver quality education.
The administration has previously pointed to efforts to streamline finances, improve transparency, and get academic calendars back on track — the same period unions now cite as evidence that things are working.
Students, who make up the largest stakeholder group, have not yet issued a formal statement. But with mid-semester activities underway, many now face an uncertain academic calendar.
What happens next
With both teaching and administration halted, pressure will mount on the UL Board of Trustees, the Ministry of Education, and government to mediate. The unions say they will not return until all 5 demands are “fully implemented.”
The core question now for UL: Is this a labor dispute over pay and benefits, or a power struggle over who gets to run Liberia’s flagship university?
