The case involving the Gambia Teachers’ Union and Karamo Sanneh continued on 10 June 2013, before Magistrate Jobarteh, Chairman of the Kanifing Industrial Tribunal, who was being assisted by panelists Cole and Njie.
Karamo Sanneh, continuing his testimony, told the tribunal that after he was reinstated from an indefinite suspension by the GTU management, on 29 May 2007, he wrote to the defendant still demanding for the service rule but his letter was turned down.
The said letter was tendered by Mr Sanneh’s Lawyer, Akinbo, and the defendant’s counsel did not object to the tendering of the document.
The tribunal admitted it.
Sanneh said that on 6 November 2012, he wrote a petition letter to the acting-Commissioner of Labour for unfair treatment and injustice he had been subjected to by the defendant, which the management was not ready to address.
He further posited that to his surprise, he received a hearing notice on 13 November 2012, from the defendant as to why he should continue working with the defendant.
Sanneh added he was surprised that most of the issues raised in the hearing notice were earlier dealt with in 2008.
At this juncture, the letter he had written to the acting-Commissioner of Labour and the hearing notice were tendered by the plaintiff’s counsel and the defendant’s counsel did not raise any objection.
The said documents were admitted by the tribunal.
The plaintiff adduced that the issues raised by the defendant were that he was alleged to have illegally used official telephone lines, with consumption of 40 per cent of the total cost of the bill, which he denied.
He further stated that the defendant could not prove the total telephone consumption he was alleged to have consumed.
He indicated that he refused an instruction from a supervisor on a particular Wednesday, according to the defendant, which he denied, adding that the defendant did not indicate the date and year on this particular Wednesday, and as such, he assigned them to trace out the Wednesday for him but they refused.
Sanneh said he had been accused of stealing a tabulin by the defendant’s driver, Masaneh Ceesay, and when he asked whether he saw him stealing, he said he was told by one of their staff whom he did not reveal.
He warned Masaneh to stop accusing him without any proof, Sanneh said, adding that Masaneh started provoking him that he was a thief, and as a result, they quarreled.
He testified that the programme officer asked them to answer to him but Masaneh still kept on provoking him, adding that he told the programme officer to tell Masaneh not to provoke him but the programme officer asked him (Sanneh) to keep quiet.
Sanneh said he told the programme officer that he could not keep quiet while Masaneh kept on provoking him.
He finally told the tribunal he was queried as a result of the quarrel but Masaneh was never queried.
The case was then adjourned until 3 and 9 July 2013.
