By Assan Bah
Workers at the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia (MRC-G) have resumed a sit-down strike after management allegedly deducted salaries from employees who participated in an earlier industrial action, the workers’ union confirmed.
Modou Mbye, chairperson of the MRC-G Workers’ Union, said the decision to strike again followed what the union described as a breach of labour rights.
“Our management went ahead and deducted the salaries of those who participated in the December 16–17 strike,” Mbye said in an interview. “This has jeopardized the entire negotiation process.”
The strike, originally held in December over long-standing demands related to salaries, working conditions, career development, and promotion, was suspended on December 18 after the intervention of the health minister. Workers had agreed to return to their posts pending negotiations.
“Through his intervention as our state minister, we decided to suspend the strike,” Mbye said. “But we made it clear that if things did not go as expected, we would go back to the drawing board.”
When employees received their pay slips, they discovered that wages had been deducted for the days they were on strike. The union wrote to management, insisting that the deductions be reversed before any further negotiations. “Since then, we have not heard from them until yesterday, when they reached out to discuss the matter,” Mbye said. “I informed them that there won’t be any negotiations until our demands are met and the deductions refunded.”
Mbye said the union considers the deductions a violation of the labour law.
“It is against the law to punish staff for participating in an industrial action,” he argued.
Until their demands are met, he said, workers will remain off the job.
“We are staying home until our demands are addressed,” Mbye stressed.
Foroyaa has sent a request to the press officer for a statement or comment by management which will be published once received.
