 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11832 Posts |
 Posted - 19 Nov 2006 : 22:31:54
|
GAWA OPPOSES REDUNDANCY
By Yaya Dampha
The Gambia Agricultural Workers Association (GAWA) have made it clear that though they support the restructuring of the Department of State for Agriculture, they are opposed to the redundancy measures contained in a document which calls for the streamlining of the agricultural workforce. They expressed this opinion at a one day consultative meeting held on Thursday 14th November at their headquarters in Wellingara. The Association was formed in November 1999.
According to the document it is decided that an Agency called the National Agricultural Development Agency (NADA) is to “be planed by a team, well paid and well motivated labour force to have this characteristic, some of its members will have to be used intensively by giving them multiple roles.”
According to the document the manpower for the fiscal year 2007 excluding those of its projects, programmes and subvented institutions, will shrink significantly from 898 to 552, of which National Agricultural Development Agency (NADA’s) will account for 299. NADA’s personal emoluments is projected at D11, 462, 432 compared to DOSA’s current personal emoluments of D19, 399, 840 which makes a difference of D7, 937, 408 while the staff at DOSA headquarters will continue to be intact. This, the document says will fund other commitments including perhaps resettlements or retirement related allowances.
The Department of Planning’s (DOP) staff strength will diminish from 98 to 27 with a corresponding decrease in its personnel emoluments. The decrease in PE is not proportionate, largely as a result of the strong desire to attract, retain and utilize competent staff; the report stated.
All the staff will from December ending be laid off. They will reapply for the remaining two hundred and ninety-nine posts that will be maintained by NADA.
The report further indicated that out of the twenty-five existing mixed farming centres only twelve will be maintained throughout the country.
This has caused a climate of uncertainty among the agricultural workers all over the country, who called on their association to hold this meeting in order to come up with ideas and recommendations to be submitted to the relevant authorities to reconsider the restructuring plans.
In his opening remarks the president of Gambia Agricultural Workers’ Association (GAWA) Mr. Sheikh Tijan Sosseh, said the importance of this gathering cannot be over emphasised since it is meant to pave a way for the farmers and the agricultural staff since they are the two threatened by the restructuring. According to him, over six hundred (600) will be laid off as recommended in the plan. He once again welcomed the participants and asked for their advice and good suggestions in order to have a better agriculture, “We all agreed that agriculture is the back bone of a nation and president Yaya Jammeh has shown interest in the sector by becoming a farmer. So in this regard, agriculture should not be undermined by reducing its staff when its ratio to the farmers is one is to five thousand.”
He said GAWA and the general agricultural workers are saying no to the redundancy even though they recognize the need for restructuring in a different sense, that is to say, its human resources, capacity building, infrastructure, and many others.
Mr. Sosseh said in order to develop the sector, these resources have to be increased and the better management of the resources ensures a clear programme defined among other things. He concluded by saying that the common question asked by agricultural workers throughout the country is “If I am redundant what will be my fate, how much am I going to be paid and how soon am I going to be paid?”
During the meeting a representative from URD said he had told the former secretary of state for agriculture, Mr. Yankuba Touray, during his meeting with agricultural workers on the planned restructuring especially on the redundancy component, where it is stated that the restructuring has come to empower the farmers, that this is a mistake because the present agriculture staff to farmer ratio is one to five thousand. So if this is done, that ratio will become wider. He said he recommended that redundancy should be cancelled for the sake of the farmers because though most of the staff may get other jobs, the farmer would not be able to hire the services of independent extension workers. He lamented that the number of mix farming centres which he regards as the high school of the farmers is to be reduced to only twelve by the restructuring plan.
Participants at the meeting agreed that the restructuring plan was done in isolation and that this is why the workers are threatened. It was further said that the new SoS requested for the recurrent list of agricultural staff and get rid off the names of workers who are either dead or have left the service a long time.
On the issue of transferring the transport and mechanic sector, to the meeting recommended that NARI should not be done. According to them, it will have a negative impact on agriculture if the vehicles, tractors and some of the few remaining drivers are to be moved from the agricultural development sector to a research institution.
Mr. Amadou Bojang from the ministry informed the gathering that the new secretary of state asked him to inform them that he (SoS) is not in for restructuring. He also said the SoS told him that his first priority for the staff is to have enough vehicles and motor cycles.
It was also agreed that the soil and water management unit should be capacitated rather than down sized because SWMU have written to donors who have even started funding it, so the soil and water management unit needs improvements on its human resources.
The Director of Planning (DOP) for Agriculture, Kekoi Kuyateh said he totally disagree with the human redundancy in the plan and also recommended a total review of the plan. He said even they the agric directors did not have the full text of the restructuring plans. He said he tried several occasions to have the report from the ministry and PMO’s office but he was told that it’s a confidential document. Mr. Kuyateh said at a meeting at baobab Hotel when the former agricultural SoS presented the paper on restructuring, he told him that he personally did not agree with the restructuring and that after that meeting he wrote to the ministry and made the same objections to the report but he was told to resign if he disagrees. He wondered if NARI, for example, is downsized from a staff of 90 to a staff of 23, how one would expect it to work. He said those who were given the mandate to prepare the restructuring plan are not experts in that sector and they are not working there. He said there are over hundred vacancies in the department but since MDI wrote to PMO that no application should be considered, but they did not indicate in their report that the department is over staffed.
The President of Agricultural Farmers’ Platform, Mr. Jawneh, noted that government should try to forget some of its international pressures, which he claims has caused the closure of mixed farming centres and the idea of restructuring. He said the farmers are more threatened than the workers when they are told that the services of their workers will end this December and they will be left with only twelve mixed farming centres out of the existing twenty-five. Mr. Jawneh said the few extension workers in the villages are under paid and not well trained. He argued that they should no be made redundant because farmers would not be able to hire their services when they need them on their fields. He said if workers are redundant then the farmers have no future. He ended up by saying that the former SoS did at one time say during their meeting that now that farmers are educated, there is no use having extension workers every where because farmers can solve their own problems. The National farmers Platform President said he disagrees with this. He called on the Head of State to reconsider this move.
At the end of the day long meeting, participants agreed to task the executive committee and other selected members to come up with a draft recommendation. While acknowledging that the department needs restructuring and its human and material resources need to be strengthened, they say NO to redundancy. If they are made redundant, what would be their pay? They asked. They also asked when they will be paid. It is also recommended that the PMO’s report be made public and staff training and promotions be considered. After the committee has written its report, it will be submitted to the new SoS for DOSA and the President of the Republic.
Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No.101/2006, 17-19 November,2006
|
|
|
kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 21 Nov 2006 : 17:55:47
|
Why should the poor always have to suffer ?
If the DOSA needs any organizational restructuring I would rather trim down the middle and the top. The bottom which is the contact point with farmers should be strenghtened by proper education and better facilities.
Most of the resources are probably wasted or trapped at the top echelon of the department of agriculture , which needs to be addressed.
So maybe we should have a "Rumsfeldian" style "lean and efficient" DOSA , a flat organization by virtually eliminating the middle(and move many closer to the farmers) and slashing the top( redeployment , multi-tasking and only if absolutely necessary laying off).
I agree with Foroyya editorial about the need for mechanization and modernization in Gambian agriculture , so the research aspect at NARI is crucial and should be strenghtened. Every research is useful only if its result can benefit the farmers , the extension workers who are the facilitators of change in agriculture as the first contact point for farmers needs to be also strenghtened. Much of the rest is up to anyone's creativity. |
 |
|
|
kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 21 Nov 2006 : 18:30:14
|
Extension work is almost dead in the DOSA. There are arm chair agriculturalists busy setting up one world bank project to another and paying prohibitive salaries and world class SUVs for "treking" to the fields.
UNLESS GAMBIA CLOSES DOWN ALL PROJECTS, DONT EXPECT ANY DEVELOPMENT. PROJECTS ARE THE CASH COWS OF CIVIL SERVANTS. IF YOUR MINISTRY HAS NO PROJECT, THEN YOU ARE DOOMED.
WE DONT NEED PROJECTS BUT PROGRAMMES. THE TWO ARE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO DEVELOPMENT. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
© 2005-2024 Nijii |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
