By Arret Jatta
Staff of Alport Banjul on Monday staged a protest demanding the removal, within days, of Managing Director Salih Levent Kaçar.
The workers alleged Salih failed to fully implement agreements reached between them and his management in June.
They said these unresolved matters include staff loans, training, scholarship payments, overtime, shift arrangements, salaries and allowances.
The leader of the workers association Adama Jatta said the action was not against Alport as a whole or the government, but the leadership.
“We just want the leader replaced for a fresh and more confident environment of work,” Jatta said.
The staff later submitted the petition for the MD’s replacement to GPA Managing Director Ousman Jobarteh.
The Standard could not get MD Salih’s reaction but Mrs Tida Kanuteh, Corporate Communications Executive at Alport gave a personal reflection on the matter opining that though emotions are currently high, ‘we must not lose sight of the fact that MD Salih’s leadership has brought about a lot of positive changes to the port, through his commitment, attention to details and determination to improve operations for the Port of Banjul to become a stronger gateway for The Gambia and the wider West African region’.
This, Mrs Kanuteh said, is demonstrated by the sharp reduction in vessel waiting times, and port congestion; new equipment has been brought in; a 15,000-square-metre container yard completed and infrastructure rehabilitated in addition to handling and operational efficiency, that has now increasingly positioned the port as a competitive gateway for regional trade.”
She said though staff concerns deserve to be heard, and legitimate grievances given proper attention, accountability and recognition can exist at the same time.
“We should be careful not to allow a difficult moment to erase the progress that has been made,” Kanuteh said, describing MD Salih as a strong leader committed to moving the port of Banjul forward.
‘The Port of Banjul is bigger than any individual, including Mr. Salih and all of us who work there. What matters ultimately is that we continue to improve, listen, correct what needs correcting, protect our people and build an institution that The Gambia can be proud of,” Tida Kanuteh said.