By Assan Bah
Workers at the Niumi – Hakalang road have lamented poor wages and alleged unfair treatment by the contractor (CSE).
According to the workers, they are afraid to show their frustrations, citing job security.
Speaking to this medium, they say the contractor is withholding their appointment letters despite having already signed their contracts.
Narrating his frustrations, a mechanic working at the said road, who appealed for anonymity, alleged that the company was denying Gambian workers training opportunities from the operators and that the Senegalese workers are paid better wages than them.
“They do not in most instances allow any Gambian to be trained by the operators; they only train those from Senegal. They also don’t pay us what they pay the Senegalese apprentices. What is usually said is the Gambia government did not allow them to pay us through the pay scale of the Senegalese which I cannot understand. We are not getting any salary increments like the companies in other countries. We sign contracts, but they will never give you an appointment letter,” he said.
He further said: “They said that there are 75% Gambians in the company, this is not true because they easily dismiss Gambian workers. We cannot complain because if we do, we will be sacked by our bosses. They are currently deducting tax and social security charges, but my name is not in their books, then how come they are deducting tax from my salary?” he asked.
“When one gets injured while at work, one will not receive any injury compensation and CSE has no doctor; what they say is they cannot bring a doctor just for us. Two of our colleagues died in Kaur in an accident and a heavy machine fell on another person who eventually died. So many other terrible things are happening here, but we have no place to complain because our doors are closed,” he added.
He further expressed disappointment with the government. “When the Minister comes for a site visit, he never asks us about our plight,” he alleged.
Another worker at the project, who works as a security, said he has been working in the project for 4 years.
“The social security came here and took all our details but I still did not get the card. I have been working here for 4 years and they are deducting me every month and there is no membership card, so how would I claim my money after this project?’’ he frustratedly inquired.
Other workers, who spoke to this medium at the project site, made similar remarks and called for fair treatment, saying they are all Gambians and responsible for their families.
Speaking to Foroyaa, the Site Manager of the Project, Mr Bamba Njie, refuted the claims made by the said workers and said all workers are treated equally.
“When one leaves his or her country for another that must be factored out in your contractual agreement, you cannot be paid the same as the citizens of that country. However, some Gambians are paid more than Senegalese workers because we pay according to experience. We treat all our workers equally,” he expounded.
On the issue of the workers’ social security payments, he said: “Each company has a percentage which they deduct from its employees which will be kept as social security fees. One can claim his or her benefits after the contract. This is deducted from all of us. The card should be given to them by Social Security, not us”.
EDITOR’S NOTE: All those injured, including fatalities, while at work or when going to work or return home from work are entitled to compensation under the Injuries Compensation Scheme and should claim for compensation at Social Security. Alternatively if the company has been paying insurance for its employees, they can benefit from the insurance company.
