This concern was revealed on Thursday at a press conference held at the gate of the USET campus in Jeshwang. The press confab was also aimed at getting President Adama Barrow to be aware of what the SWA-USET is going through, yearning for a solution to the problem.
Highlighting their pressing concerns, Samuel Mendy, the public relations officer of the SWA at the USET, said: “I will precisely hit the nail on the head by presenting the distressful and painful financial issues that lingers on silently within this institution.”
He said their financial liabilities have trapped USET staff, especially the subordinates, “in shackles of impoverishment, financial oppression and stagnation likewise social disempowerment”.
He said their main financial issues causing disgruntlement are failure of settling arrears of the staff welfare monthly contributions, and discontinuance of depositing this fund to their staff welfare account despite the deductions.
“This lapse started since March 2023 to date,” he said, adding that the financial mishap has amounted to D262,800, with another major issue of “an incomplete payment of arrears” owed to their credit union and the default in depositing the monthly deductions to members of the credit union even though the deductions have continued.
“Precisely, the USET owes the Credit Union an amount of D1,432,036,” he revealed. “This situation has rendered our GTTI Credit Union insolvent, making it virtually impossible for members to withdraw their own savings.”
Another financial discrepancy is defaulting in paying staff income tax to the Gambia Revenue Authority, he said, adding: “Our pay slips indicate deductions but it has been discovered that USET has not been paying the staff income tax since August 2023. It’s affecting the motorist and thereby causing harassment to our staff from the police as well as denying government revenue for development.”
PRO Mendy also said the contracted lecturers in the Ordinary National Diploma -Construction “have not been paid” up to 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,” he claimed. “The money owed to these lecturers for the four months semester program sums up to D72,000.00. Teaching staff have not been paid their Performance Allowance for the past six months.”
Mendy further complained: “The staff gratuity saving at the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation has not been paid from September 2023 up to this last month of September 2024.
“The segregation of setting up a new USET paying scale for a selected few staff whilst majority of staff wallows in the outdated former GTTI pay scale is too painful to staff.
“It proves the lack of concern, commitment to motivate staff and condescending attitude of the USET Leadership. Also monthly delay in the payment of salaries is becoming a norm in the institution.”
He said that on 26 July this year MoHERST invited the SWA-USET executives to a meeting over SWA-USET decision to suspend semester exams if financial issues were not settled.
Also on 28 July 2024, he said, MoHERST invited SWA-USET together with the USET leadership and the USET Governing Council to discuss the issues causing disgruntlement to staff.
The SWA financial crisis “is not due to any form of embezzlement from anyone, but due to a result of non payment of MoHERST scholarship students, none] payment of MoBSE HTC sponsored students, non/delay in payment of pre-financed activities for MoHERST and the expansion of USET satellite campuses, etc.”
