Gambia health officers on strike: Ministry threatens salary stoppage, other unspecified steps

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Gambia’s Ministry of Health has threatened salary stoppage and other steps as part of their administrative actions against the striking public health and environmental officers.

In a press release issued on June 28, 2022, the ministry said they had had extensive discussions with the executive members of the Association explaining to them all the positive steps that government is taking to ensure that the extra allowances are paid to the public health and other health workers.

In the Ministry’s own words: “These steps are very near completion as we speak.

To our disappointment it looks like the executive members are not relaying the correct information to the general membership thereby misleading he general membership into continuing the strike action, which is detrimental to the citizenry.”

The release signed by Muhamadou Lamin Jaiteh, Permanent Secretary 1, captioned , “FINAL CALL TO RESUME WORK,” said the Ministry also noticed that some members of the executive committee are not happy any time we are close to a solution in our discussions with them.

For the health authorities, this implies that such members do not have the interest of the association or the country at heart.

“The office is rising to the fact that despite all efforts made by the leadership of the Ministry of Health as explained by the latest engagement between the Hon. Minister and the executive of the of the association of the Public Health and Environment Officers highlighting the concern and plight of the citizenry, the said executive went back making disrespectful statements against the authorities.”

The release urged all striking members of the Public and Environmental Health Officers under the Ministry of Health to report back to health with immediate effect, calling on all unit heads to write down the list of staff who failed to show up for work starting Wednesday, June 2022 at 8:00am.

“Thereafter, administrative actions will be taken against those who are deliberately absent from work including stoppage of their salary and other steps,” the Ministry threatened.