By: Sulayman Waan
Information from a clear source has reached The Voice that the workers of Randville Farm Company Limited in Nemakunku and Toubakuta farms in West Coast Region (WCR) were on strike last week, demanding for better payment.
Radvill Farm is an agricultural company that concentrates on cultivation of crops and vegetable such as maize and bean in The Gambia, but exports products to Europe. Its workers at Toubakuta farm commenced the strike on Wednesday, March 13 while those in Nemakunku started on Friday March 15.
Speaking to The Voice a source who prefers anonymity said the workers of Randvill Farm in Nemakunku and at Toubakuta farms are currently on strike demanding for salary increment. He stated that presently the workers are paid D80 per day, which they said is too small as they are now demanding for a daily pay of D150.
“We all demanding for salary increment and the entire working condition in the company’s farm is poor because the farm has many snakes and we don’t have proper working shoes to prevent us from dangers in the garden,” he protested.
“Many are coming from far destination such as Farato village, Mariama Kunda and Bundung but we are not given transport allowance, just few are conveying home by the company’s vehicle and we don’t have health insurance from the company, too”
Further expressing their dissatisfaction on the company’s management the source said: “We had been complaining to the management regarding these challenges over five months ago yet they don’t respond to us.”
He affirmed that the proprietor of the company is a very good person, every month he sends sufficient money to the management for the worker’s payment as well as adequate and quality food for them. But the management is not working according to the instruction of the proprietor as he expected of them. He blamed the Gambians who are in the management team for ill-treatment of their fellow Gambians.
Another source told this medium that one of the officials had informed that the owner of the company approved the payment of one hundred dalasi (D100) to a staff per day but the management is only given them D80. “This means they are cheating each one of us D20 on daily basis.”
In another development, The Voice had confirmed that some of the employees at the two farms resumed working as the management promised to meet their demands.
Speaking to the Human Resource Manager for Randville Farm, Mamut Sey, confirmed the strike and as well admitted staffs request of salary increment.
“The workers had asked for salary increment but I told them that I just informed the managing director of the company about their demand and he is aware of that. Right now I’m working on their demand but salary increment cannot be done just overnight,” he said.
