Students said the sit-down strike is having a serious impact on their education.
The staff of the Gambia Technical Training Institute have initiated a sit-down strike since May 8 over dispute with management on host of issues including timely payment of their salaries, secretary general of the staff association, Awa Njie Gomez, confirmed to Kerr Fatou.
The staff are calling for the payment of their transportation allowances starting from January, 50% salary increment and for their performance allowances to be paid with all employees with 50% increment.
They are also calling for staff salaries to be paid within the 23 to 28 of every month and staff be promoted in accordance with the GTTI service rules.
“The management does not want to talk to us… They met with the students,” Njie said.
Meanwhile, the director general of the school, Jahou Faal, could not create time to talk to Kerr Fatou in the morning. She claimed to call back but until this late evening she didn’t.
However, the school management said they are releasing a press statement later today.
The president of the staff association, Gaston Mendy, said they have met with the board of the school on Wednesday who demanded some compromise but they have asked them to put their terms in writing.
On Thursday the staff who represent a ‘total of 163’ came together with their leadership at the school’s engineering department to discuss their next plan of action as the strike enters its third day.
“We have not been learning for three days now and that is not good for us,” said one construction student who does not want to be named.
The GTTI staff have written a letter to the higher education ministry and the national assembly select committee on education since May 7 but Njie said they have not gotten a response.
Njie said the GTTI staff at their two branches in Banjul and Farafenni are also part of the strike. This is the third sit-down strike since January 2018 and the second to have involved teachers.
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