Back and Next - Back and NextInter-union feud at Tanji Muminu Sey and co react
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
A day after a brief skirmishes at the Tanji car park, members of the Gambia National Transport Control Association (GNTCA) have reacted to allegations by their feuding counterpart, The Gambia National Transport Union (GNTU). A delegation from GNTCA, led by their president, Mr Muminu Sey, has dismissed as baseless, all the issues raised by members of the rival union.
They described them as a bunch of disgruntled rebels, intent on displacing their association for selfish monetary gains. Mr Sey and his men said that the issue at hand was only at the Tanji car park, where three dismissed members of the car park committee had decided to break away to form a rival committee, members of which committee are believed to be influenced by president Abdoulie Sosseh and co of GNTU.
"To begin with, we want to make the clarification that there is no such thing as the Gambia national Transport Union", said Mr Sherrif Dibba, the Secretary General of GNTCA.
With a document obtained from them, members of GNTCA vehemently argued that the real name of the other group was in fact Gambia Transport Agriculture Food and Industrial Workers Union. This document, bearing a seal, was signed by the Registrar of Trade Union, and it indicates that the latter was registered in July 6, 1995, two years after the registration of the GNTCA. This, Mr Sey and his colleagues noted, shows that they were the first to be in operation in the Gambia. They said that members of the other group have absolutely nothing to do with transport affairs.
Kebba Sanneh, the Tanji car park president, said that theirs was the legitimate committee operating at the park, and that they were affiliated to the only operational association branch in serekunda, which he said, was also an affiliate of the national association, under Mr Sey’s presidency. This point was confirmed by the serekunda branch president, who was also present at the meeting.
On the issue of a request for the audited account of the association, a point earlier raised by the other group, the GNTCA members argued that they are under no obligation to produce such a document for people that are not members of their association, but they were quick to say that they do so every month for transparency purpose.
They added that the permit produced by their rivals actually does not authorize them for issuing of out-ticket; rather, it was for them to sensitize their members. This, they said, was what the NIA officials know and that was why they had advised them to quit.
"There is no place in the world where you have two separate bodies issuing out-tick to drivers", exclaimed one of them. They further argued that theirs was the association of the entire transport community of the country, which they said operates in line with transparency, accountability and democracy. They concluded by saying that as at now, every thing was in order, as they were in control of the situation.
They described them as a bunch of disgruntled rebels, intent on displacing their association for selfish monetary gains. Mr Sey and his men said that the issue at hand was only at the Tanji car park, where three dismissed members of the car park committee had decided to break away to form a rival committee, members of which committee are believed to be influenced by president Abdoulie Sosseh and co of GNTU.
"To begin with, we want to make the clarification that there is no such thing as the Gambia national Transport Union", said Mr Sherrif Dibba, the Secretary General of GNTCA.
With a document obtained from them, members of GNTCA vehemently argued that the real name of the other group was in fact Gambia Transport Agriculture Food and Industrial Workers Union. This document, bearing a seal, was signed by the Registrar of Trade Union, and it indicates that the latter was registered in July 6, 1995, two years after the registration of the GNTCA. This, Mr Sey and his colleagues noted, shows that they were the first to be in operation in the Gambia. They said that members of the other group have absolutely nothing to do with transport affairs.
Kebba Sanneh, the Tanji car park president, said that theirs was the legitimate committee operating at the park, and that they were affiliated to the only operational association branch in serekunda, which he said, was also an affiliate of the national association, under Mr Sey’s presidency. This point was confirmed by the serekunda branch president, who was also present at the meeting.
On the issue of a request for the audited account of the association, a point earlier raised by the other group, the GNTCA members argued that they are under no obligation to produce such a document for people that are not members of their association, but they were quick to say that they do so every month for transparency purpose.
They added that the permit produced by their rivals actually does not authorize them for issuing of out-ticket; rather, it was for them to sensitize their members. This, they said, was what the NIA officials know and that was why they had advised them to quit.
"There is no place in the world where you have two separate bodies issuing out-tick to drivers", exclaimed one of them. They further argued that theirs was the association of the entire transport community of the country, which they said operates in line with transparency, accountability and democracy. They concluded by saying that as at now, every thing was in order, as they were in control of the situation.
Author: by Kemo Cham
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