GPA to establish a Dock Labor Company at the Port of Banjul
Media reports from Ghana have it that The Gambia Port Authority is set to establish a Dock Labor Company at the Port of Banjul. To make it happen, a Gambian delegation comprising management personnel of the Gambia Port Authority, Dockworkers, and officials of the Maritime Labor Union, is in Ghana on a study tour to the Port of Tema to observe how the Ghana Dock Labor Company functions.
In Ghana this Wednesday, the General Manager in Charge of Corporate Planning at the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority, Samuel Ntow-Kummi briefed the Gambian delegation on the origins of the Labor Company, as well as the advantages and challenges of such an establishment.
He opined that “GDLC was registered as a limited liability company and supposed to operate as a non-profit organization so that any money obtained would be ploughed back into the business to enhance operations and improve the welfare of the workers. It was done with a lot of support from GPHA such as office accommodation and the provision of training.”
The Managing Director of the Ghana Dock Labor Company, Elisha Odoom further explained the organizational structure, and operations of GDLC including the expansion of the company’s portfolio beyond port work.
He said, “we have another branch in Takoradi with over four thousand workforces ranging from dockers to machine operators to office staff, data entry, and tally clerks among others. It has also become a conduit that GPHA also recruits.”
The representatives of the Gambia Port Authority said the study tour will help create a roadmap for the implementation of a Dock Labor Scheme in The Gambia.
