Editor,

Admittedly, Mr Verro Gomez has not succeeded in making a sound enough case against his employers, namely Wackenhut G4S, as far as the wages paid by them to their employees are concerned. However, he also raised the issue of conditions of service including fringe benefit on all-important motivating factor.

As a Trade Union leader and as member of the Labour Advisory Board, I know for certain that most of our youth are frustrated because of the treatment they receive from their employers, especially the foreign employers. For example, I once came across a Security Guard (incidentally not an employee of Wackenhut) who told me he was engaged as a permanent night shift! In effect, he was being treated as a watchman! That was a sorry case.

A security guard is not another watchman. He is expected to use not only his brawn but also his brain! Thus, he must have some amount of schooling.

Against this backdrop, it will be sad if employers do anything untoward to make the youth in their employment frustrated.

By the way Mr Editor, we do have a few Gambia Security establishments in the Greater Banjul Area, but people prefer to hire the services of the foreign establishments.

This is unfortunate. I know personally some of these establishments run by experienced and amply-trained Security personnel, but they are yet to hit the recognition level.

I would like to take this opportunity to point out that it is high time we Gambians become proud of ourselves, so that we do not hesitate to give the encouragement the youth deserved.  Against such a backdrop we shall not hesitate to patronize our compatriots ... instead of going cap/in/hand to foreign entrepreneurs who, conscious of our desperate situations, will decide to pay us as low a wage as possible, and may not care two hoots about their conditions of service.

Ebou C Faal

Latrikunda Yirigana


Editor's Note: Mr. Faal, firstly I am glad you are aware of this matter because as a Trade Unionist and Labour Board member, it is your responsibility rather than ours! Staff with grievances should go through the right channels such as yours rather than run straight to a newspaper.

You are the competent authority to handle such matters since the Labour Act gives you certain powers. Make use of them! As for who pays more - foreigners or indigenous employers - we need objective research on that. Again it is the responsibility of a Trade Union like yours to undertake such research and campaign to rectify employers' failings on your members' behalf. Thank you for your letter.