The lecturers at the University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET) are demanding for their six months performance allowance.
Speaking during a press conference, the PRO ofthe Staff Welfare Association at the USET, Samuel Mendy, said: ‘’These are just the tip of the iceberg. There are other financial discrepancies like refusal or the exponential reduction of in- country training allowance authorized by the Personal Management Office for the attendees to be paid a daily allowance of at least D4000.00 if it falls within one week. Now here at USET, they pay D500 per day for such rare trainings and sometimes nothing at all.’’
He stressed that there was a delay in the payment of monthly salaries and that the situation is becoming a norm in the institution. These financial liabilities, according to him, have trapped USET staff, especially the subordinates in shackles of impoverishment, financial oppression and stagnation as well as social disempowerment.
‘’The main financial issues causing disgruntlement include failure to settle arrears of the Staff Welfare monthly contributions and discontinuing depositing this fund to our Staff Welfare account despite its deductions. This lapse started since March 2023 up till date. This money amounts to D262,800.00,” he stated.
PRO Mendy indicated that another major issue is the incomplete payment of arrears owed to theircredit union and the default in depositing the monthly deductions to the members of the union even though the deductions are continuing.
“Precisely, USET owes the credit union an amount of D1,432,036. This situation has rendered our GTTI Credit Union insolvent, making it virtually impossible for members to withdraw their own savings,” he added.
He told reporters that another financial discrepancy is defaulting in paying staff income tax to the Gambia Revenue Authority. “Our pay slips indicate deductions but it has been discovered that USET has not been paying the staff income tax since August 2023.
It is affecting the motorists amongst us because of the ensuing harassment ofour staff by the police as well as denying government of revenue for development,” stated Mendy. The contracted lecturers in the Ordinary National Diploma- Construction, he went on, have not been paid up till the completion of the semester.
“It is six months from the commencement to completion of the program yet no payment has been made to these lecturers. The money owed to these lecturers for the four month-semester program sums up to D72,000.00,” he explained.
“ Staff gratuity saving at the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation has not been paid from September 2023 up till September 2024 and this is worrisome because staff expect theirpension money upon retirement,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, Mendy said there is a new USET paying scale for a selected few staff whilst majority of staff wallows in the out-dated former GTTI pay scale. This, he bemoaned, is too painful to staff.
“It proves the lack of concern, commitment to motivate staff and condescending attitude of the USET Leadership.
“We have made several strides to have these anomalies settled through dialogues with the Ministry of Higher Education on a number of occasions and separately with the USET Leadership but nothing impressive has been achieved.”
The Association stated that its sit- down strike is across all the regions and they vowed not to work until their demands are fulfilled.
