Concerned Gamcel staff have staged a protest demanding better working conditions and payment of their 2-month salaries from Gamcel management.
The protest was held at the Gamcel head office along the Momodou Majang highway in Kanifing on Monday.
Pierre Njie, the commercial clerk of the company, read the petition statement on behalf of the protesters and said: “The undersigned concerned staff of Gamcel have not been satisfied with Gamcel management’s handling of the staff affairs for over two years now.”
According to him, the issue started seven years ago, and ever since the system had been “ineffective and monopolised”, causing significant problems to service delivery and revenue generation, ultimately affecting staff and customer service.
Mr Njie indicated that since September 2022, there had been delays in the payment of staff salaries, which had affected the company staff, and the management had failed to explain or give any reasons for the delay of salaries.
“In pursuance of the need to urgently address this issue, we, the undersigned staff, demand that Gamcel Management take urgent steps within the reasonable timelines,” he urged.
He mentioned that the December salaries “are still unpaid” and they were demanding that they were paid immediately within a week.
He also alleged that staff salaries had been deducted for credit union payments for over two years. “We demand that these payments be reconciled and information provided on how to access them when needed within the next three weeks,” he appealed.
Staff medical insurance had also been stopped for almost three years without explanation, he said, demanding explanation from management and immediate resumption of medical insurance within three weeks.
Staff Social Security information had not been accessible to staff, an issue and complaint they had lodged with the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC), he said, demanding also an explanation from Gamcel management on why they couldn’t access such relevant facts and information, as well as from SSHFC.
Mr Njie highlighted that staff personal income taxes had been deducted but appeared not to be paid, “which is affecting staff from accessing other services” as clearance for vehicles among others. “We demand an explanation of where these deductions are being paid,” he urged, calling for all outstanding payments to be deposited in the appropriate accounts so staff could access other services. He also called on the management of Gamcel to provide sufficient mobility for the maintenance of staff to carry out their duty effectively.
