Is the President Listening? "We are Not Politicians, We are Workers and Trade Unionists" 
 
This is what a group of members of the Dock and Maritime Workers Union told Foroyaa as they lamented the radio and television broadcast that they are sticking to their grievances against the Ports Authority because they are Opposition sympathizers. They want Foroyaa to help them to put the record straight. They want their plight to be truly understood by the Gambian Nation in general and the president in particular.
 
In a Four hour interview with Foroyaa which will be published on Wednesday the workers first cried their hearts out for the over 30 members who have gone to their graves before they could get redress. They explained how over 300 of them remained united and have been enduring poverty and unsubstantiated allegations while they wait patiently for the scale of justice to tip side. They recalled the history of the dockworkers, the stigma put upon them, how they were used in the past by agents who received money on their behalf and paid them starvation wages. They went into the history of the struggle for self determination and how some of them were old enough to witness what was called the battle of Wilberforce and which prepared the ground for movement towards internal self government. 
 
The workers explained how vital stevedoring services are to the existence of the Gambia since the colonial period. According to them, efficiency in the service was ensured by making it independent of bureaucratic control. They argued that this was achieved through the Independent registration and granting of licences and service numbers to dock workers who were put into gangs in turns in accordance with their service numbers so that unfair recruitment could easily be detected. They claimed that an Independent Port Labour Board was established which could receive complaints against Dock workers and their grievance to promote impartial justice. They claim that this board had functioned since 1963. 
 
According to them, despite the existence of such institutions they have not had the intellectual guidance to know how to make those institutions to work in their favour. They lamented how they never knew how much the agents were paying for stevedoring services. All they knew is that their counterparts in Senegal and other countries were living in good houses, paying for the fees of their children and were well provided for at old age while they could not even pay rent or educate a child up to high school without working over time. 
 
They argued that they die very early because of hard work and poor living standards without any pension scheme to support them. They said many of them expected that the change of government would lead to a change of fortune. Some of them even claimed that they were key supporters of the coup and have supported the APRC. They are ready to face the president to tell him this and to explain that their concern is the way their independence has been nullified, Boards established to protect them nullified and sums of monies allocated as severance package without any inquiries into their legitimate entitlements and grievances.
 
They are of the view that before one jumps from one arrangement to another an inquiry needs to be done to show all the wrongs and provide remedies in order to move forward.
They are of the view that they were not properly consulted and their concerns have not been addressed. 
 
Foroyaa is of the view that the opposition is used to isolate people with genuine grievances by giving the impression that they have something against the government. This is undermining a genuine multi party system. It is very common for people to come to Foroyaa and tell us in thousands of ways that they are not against the government before expressing their grievances. It is as if everyone who has a grievance must be an opponent of the government. Trade Unions are supposed to be civil society segments. They should defend the interest of their members under any government. Each of their members may belong to a political party of one’s choice. It is even unfair for a Trade Union to declare support for a political party in a multi party system since its members are entitled to differences in political opinion.
 
Hence the take over of recruitment functions of dockworkers by Gambia Ports Authority as of 1 August 2007 has far reaching impact which is still being felt by over 300 dockworkers and their families who are excluded by administrative order and are conditioned to take what is offered or forfeit everything. This is what the workers consider being unfair and would like to talk to the President and any other authority who would listen to seek redress. Is the President ready to listen? The future will tell. 




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