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Momodou
Denmark
11735 Posts |
 Posted - 04 Aug 2006 : 21:43:32
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BCC LABOURERS DEMAND WAGE INCREASE
By Sarjo Camara Singateh
Labourers working for the BCC have threatened to lay down their tools if their demands are not met. The demands of the workers are contained in a petition handed over to the authorities of the council. The said workers are demanding wage increase and improve working conditions.
The petition was submitted during a sit-down strike which was caused by a series of problems that the worker alleged is affecting them. The Labourers are calling on the Authorise to reinstate the ex-mayor, Pa Sallah Jeng. The workers alleged that they have been treated badly following the suspension of Pa Sallah Jeng.
The spokesperson of the labourers, Mr Lamin Sanyang, said they are faced with numerous problems; notable among them is their health status. He said they wrote a letter to Mr Jallow, the cleansing service Manager, for on ward transmission to the chief Executive officer and the Acting mayor.
They said that they are family heads and that their plight needs to be seriously considered. They said each of them receive six hundred dalasis as basic salary, noting this amount is pittance compared to the type of job they are doing for the council.
One of the workers said he lost one of his eyes when they were constructing the Gambia High School Mosque, and sustained a cut on his finger, but the council did not give him anything as compensation.
They also alleged that they sometimes engaged in jobs that have negative effect on their health. The angry labourers expressed that the council gives less attention to their plight. They pointed out that they have been in the council for a long time, without being staffed.
Below we produce the petition written by the labourers.
We the labourers at the cleansing Services of Banjul City Council here by put our collective concerns of the following conditions, to the council.
1. The poor wages of D600.00 per month for ten years without any increment.
2. The poor transport condition that is transporting us to and from Banjul in a truck that is already used for collecting waste.
3. That for the last ten years none of us have been staffed; thus working as daily paid.
4. That due to the nature of our job our health conditions are not adequately taken care off. Sir we have now agreed that if the above condition is not fully addressed by the first of August 2006, we will lay down tools until such time that they are fully addressed.
We therefore hope that you will kindly consider the above sad conditions of ours as family heads.
When contacted the Chief Executive Officer of the said Council, Mr. Batchilly, told this reporter that what brought about the strike was lack of communication between the cleansing Service Management and the labourers.
He indicated that the Council had already made some adjustments well before this sit down strike and that it was already approved by the financial Director.
He noted that by the end of this month; a 50% increment will be added on the salary of the affected workers and that all their demands will be put into consideration.
He remarked that the sit down strike was illegal because the labourers have not informed Management 14 days before the strike according to law and that they did not inform the labour Department.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 61/2006, 4-6 August, 2006
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 04 Aug 2006 : 23:10:37
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These men are SO brave and more should follow them!
600dls doesnt even buy a good bag of rice and you work all month for that!
CLEARLY that is unacceptable.
IF prices of essential goods have to rise, then wages should rise also.
However if there is severe unemployment then economics proves that it wont happen. If you complain too much then one unemployed person will lose their job and another will step forward to take it.
To achieve anything against employers the work force needs to unite.
If everyone said, sorry I need (say) 2000dls a month. ONe person would be laughed at and sacked. What would happen if everyone said it?!
1000DLS for food and 1000dls for EVERYTHING ELSE. Compared with europe that is still a very small wage for the hours that are expected.
In uk the unionisation of workers was very important. Before that they had NO rights, after that they became a unified force (brothers)
that the owners of businesses had to consider. |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 04 Aug 2006 : 23:23:10
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It is tragic. There are employees like these who are kept as daily paid employees until they retire. It is not uncommon to have a monthly pension of D50.00. I have seen many like that. What can D50.00 pension do. Infact there is a tradition that some collect their pensions after six months so that they can get a sizeable sum. Its a joke how workers of these caliber are treated.
Unfortunately, these employees are not covered by the PENSIONS ACT. They are covered by some sort of Gazetted Notice for those on daily and temporary status.
If APRC should have any gift for many like these is to abolosih this piece of legislation or amend it to give them better retirement benefits |
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LEMON TIME
Afghanistan
1295 Posts |
Posted - 05 Aug 2006 : 03:54:46
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| POOR GAMBIANS ARE BEING PAID D600 OR £12 A MONTH WHILE YAYA IS TELLING EVERYONE THAT HE IS SO RICH THAT HIS GRANDCHILDRENS WILL BENEFIT FROM HIS MONEY,IS THAT FAIR.HOPE NO ONE IN BCC WILL VOTE FOR YAYA. |
There is no god but Allah |
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 05 Aug 2006 : 12:31:03
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I wonder if any politician will pick up the plight of these poor workers. I am glad they have taken affirmative action, until you speak up people will let things slide along.
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 18:59:22
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There is no unionized labor in public service. But on a more serious note, the government should put a ceiling as to how long someone can be kept as a daily paid. It is abuse and very cheap way to maintain a payroll. They have no benefits like sick pay. You get paid when you appear for work.
In many case there is the need for work, but is a cheaper way to run an institution with virtually no obligation. The legislation emerged from some colonial instruments, which are outdated yet not revisited.
Citizen FM was closed citing the Telegraph Act, which was a colonial legislation enacted before anyone currently walking the streets on the Gambia.
Unfortunately African leaders have always, by design, left such pieces of legislation in place as a means to trample on free press. In the colonial days free press was not encouraged.
It is out of place. Unfortunately there are still many colonial laws that have not be revisited. There should be a Law Review Commission set up to look at pieces of legislation. You will be surprised up to now some pieces of our legislation contain pound sterling and Pennies instead of Dalasi and butut.
Unfortunately, these “temporary” workers although in all indications are full time employees, fall under a piece of legislation that is out of date. They do not have the political clout to change this legislation. A D50.00 monthly pension in all fairness is terrible. Many never live to celebrate their 5th year of retirement. A daily pay of D15.00 is very rare in the civil service. Remember, Saturdays and Sundays are not paid for. The gap between the haves and have-nots is widening. Unfortunately I have heard only one voice in the Gambia who is championing the cause of employee rights. Pa Modou Faal is a rare Gambian breed and I extend my hands to you and say JERRI JEFF.
NO MORE DAILY PAID EMPLOYEES. EVERY ONE DESERVES A LIVING WAGE. TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES ARE NOT TEMPORAY AFTER ALL. THEY ARE FULL TIME EMPLOYEES BEING TRATED AS DAILY PAID.
The essence of a daily paid employee was to allow public institutions to hire someone for a given task without having to under go the bureaucratic process and wind up a project. It was never intended to have them being daily paid for 20 years. Generally Daily paid employees were not expected to work beyond a week or a fortnight.
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kajaw
70 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 21:23:49
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Acording to MArtin Luther King, all labor has significance and one must not be paid starvation wages. These people's life is difficult. If you see them claw at gargbage with their bare hands you will feel pity for them. It is a damn shame that usually the gabage is put in containers that are defective and can seriously injure the workers. But this is to be expected from a failed state. Garbage collection for KMC and Banjul should be privatized. Private companies should bid for it with the expressed stipulation that the workers would receive adequate equipment and that they will be adequately compensated. It should also be the case that they will be given adequate transport facilities so they are not dumped in the same trucks that the garbage is going in to.
Martin Luther King speach in memphis tennisee
http://www.aft.org/topics/civil-rights/mlk/memphis-speech.htm
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 21:44:08
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Thanks Kajaw.
organised labor in public service is not acceptible in the Gambia. I am very concerened for their health with poor protective clothing and like you said a lot of the times with bare hands. Added to this is the fact that as temporary employees they dont enjoy sick pay but yet they full time employees disguised as temporary. By the time you realsie it, tens had already passed. |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 22:01:21
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i think most of time people are taken as daily paid as a first step to being eventually employed sometime later. most of them retire with a pension somehow.
but regarding waste management i think a cost should be put to it per ward of the area council and the residents billed directly.this would make people throw less away and fund the proper collection. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 22:20:22
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In the uk there have been various ways of taxing people for the local services. At the moment we have council tax. It is based on the value of the property you own, so people in larger houses worth more money pay more. This tax covers things like rubbish collection and local police services.
Does such a tax exist in Gambia? It different to tax on income or tax on purchases.
Gambia at government level and community level and individual level needs to take more responsiblilty for the environment, especially rubbish. Recycling is important as is NOT just throwing rubbish.
Waste needs to be disposed of responsibly.
Is most rubbish in Gambia just left to rot? What happens to things such as plastic bags that take 100s of years to rot away? Are people aware of the issues? Do most villages have a designated area for rubish or do people just leave things anywhere?
Perhaps at a village level people could collect the rubbish at the compound. Then it could be sorted in the village. What can be reused? What can be recycled? What can be burnt? WHat can be buried?
It needs to be dealt with because of health and hygiene issues.
Perhaps this is something the unemployed young men could do? This would give them a role in the community. It would make use of their spare time. It is very positive. |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 22:57:46
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That is not a pension. It is called an allowance. The legislation was enacted in 1963 if my memory serves me right. You have to remember that it was not until in the 1980s that a formal and more organize pension scheme was set up for those working in the private sector.
Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation was formed by Public Enterprises and not by Central Government. GPMB i believe was a major shareholder in SSHFC. It was just a big maze. The piece of legislation is not found in the bound laws of the Gambia unlike the pensions act, which is found in volume 5 of the laws of the Gambia. Pensions are only accorded to full time employees from Grade 2 and above. Even full time Grade one employees do not fall under the provisions of the Pensions Act of 1970, which is still in force.
Prior to that, there existed what was called THE WIDOWS AND ORPHANS PENSION SCHEME (WOPS). It was a compulsory savings scheme for family members. It was inherited during the colonial days and continued up to 1996 I believe. Public servants were forced to have separate accounts at the Accountant General’s Office. Its much like the Postal Savings Accounts. The contribution was 1% of gross monthly salary to help your family when one dies. Unfortunately due to poor record keeping millions have not been accounted for, nor were deceased officers families been able to recover funds.
Also I believe due to poor education and sensitisation at the start of the program many never knew what they were being deducted for and so never told their families. Therefore if you anyone who worked in CIVIL SERVICE(CENTRAL GOVERNMENET) they should go for a refund at the treasury. Again it was limited to male employees. Female employees were not required to contribute. It would have appeared on your pay slips. Unfortunately, if they have not kept copies of their pay stubs, they should just forget about. This is only for those on the current grade 2 and above or the old pay structure 4/5/6 which existed pre structural adjustment of 1985. During this time we ha a 21 point pay scale which was narrowed to 12 an now I believe is only up to 11. Permanent Secretaries who were on grade 12 are now on a fixed salary. Grade 12 is now scrapped.
The relevant Gazette Notice, which was a colonial legacy, is a piece of administrative instrument published in a government legal publication called the GAZETTE. The governor can only assent to legislation if it is Gazetted. This practice still holds. The president also assents to a piece of legislation if published in the Gazette for a number of days. The essence is to allow citizens to know what is coming into effect and pressure groups and interested parties can stir a national debate. This cooling period allows for other parties who cannot speak in parliament to be heard.
Unfortunately i have not heard any such groups or such pressures. Once it passed in the House, it just becomes law. Unfortunately the readership and circulation is only limited to the legal fraternity
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Edited by - kondorong on 07 Aug 2006 23:02:17 |
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Jack
Belgium
384 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 23:31:56
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Kajaw,
Will you explain why a garbage collection should be privatised. Why would it be that a private company could do the job better. Private companies are not always a better solution but they sureley are always the most expensive.
By the way the garbage collection was privatised in Banjul till 31 dec 2005 and then they kicked them out because they didn't fullfill the contract. The BCC then took on 1 jan 2006 60 new labourers (especially youngsters) to clean up the commercial area of Banjul.
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Edited by - Jack on 07 Aug 2006 23:33:12 |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 23:36:53
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| So is that partly why Mayor Jeng is in trouble |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 23:48:17
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Gambiabev. most things in the gambia are more or less the same as in the UK. i think its fair to say most of the laws are similar. just enforced differently especially by area councils who dont know their job. those who live in private property have their houses valued annually and pay a tax (rates) to the council in the thousands and this should cover for rubbish collection , street lights etc. but nothing happens. other properties pay a flat rate i think.
Kondorong WOPS is still on, but you gotta be kidding to tell people to go for a refund. i think its optional now.
i dont think its correct to say SSHFC was not formed by central government. it is normal to make government companies shareholders in newly created government parastatals. like GNIC was a shareholder in GAMTEL. SSHFC i would assume was created by an Act of Parliament otherwise some of their porvisions would be illegal. it is parliament that created it. |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2006 : 00:02:13
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Excuse my wording. It was set up by government but financed mainly by public corporations not the treasury.
Yes you can go for a refund if you want. Hundreds of people have been refunded. Its your right to opt out. Certainly i do not advise anyone to opt for it. My fear is record keeing will again be problem and individual balances will be very hard to ascertain.
The problem is the thousands who died since the colonial days without collecting or refunding monies into their estates. They should take this up with the Curator of Intestate Estate at the Attorney Generals Chambers. |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2006 : 00:14:42
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well i think the idea of WOPS is a good one. but gov. should stay out of this. there are insurance companies that offer life insurance etc and if people want to they should go to those companies.
also i think WOPS only works if you die whilst serving so your wive(s) and kids would get something. but if you die after service then they shouldn't pay it. if you live thru to retire you should claim it yourself.
there is already enough deficit in the budget, thats why treasury bills are issued to fill the gap, hence there should not be any need for further commitments.
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