By Omar Bah
The ongoing legal battle at the High Court, with significant financial implications, involves Lang Bala Sawo, the Gambia Dock and Maritime Workers Union President, who has initiated legal action against the Managing Director of the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) and others. In November of last year, 141 dockworkers signed a petition demanding Mr. Sawo’s resignation, citing alleged mismanagement of the Union’s funds. They also submitted complaints to the National Assembly and other institutions, calling for an investigation into the Union’s financial affairs.
Following Mr. Sawo’s refusal to resign, the dissatisfied dockworkers, a powerful force in this legal battle, announced in April 2024 that they had suspended him by a vote of no confidence during their Annual General Meeting.
Discontented with this decision, Mr. Sawo, representing the Gambia Dock and Maritime Workers Union, filed a lawsuit against Baboucarr Ceesay (1st defendant), Yusupha Cham (2nd defendant), and the GPA Managing Director, Ousman Jobarteh (3rd defendant). He is seeking a court order declaring that his purported suspension as the elected President of the Union is unlawful, null and void, and of no legal effect.
According to the writ of summons, the plaintiff is also seeking a court order to declare that the selection of an interim committee to replace his executive is unlawful and without legal effect, rendering all its decisions equally null and void. Furthermore, he claims that his removal from the Dock Labour Company (DLC) Gambia Ltd Board of Directors is unlawful, null and void, and of no legal effect.
Mr. Sawo is requesting an order to pay all his benefits as President of the Union, adviser to the company, and board member, asserting that he remains the President of the Union according to the Amended Constitution of the Union, registered in 2023. He also seeks a court order for the defendants to vacate his office, which he claims was wrongfully seized, and for all dividends due and payable to him by the GPA Managing Director.
In his lawsuit, Mr. Sawo is seeking damages of D1 million for what he views as wrongful interference in his union affairs, alongside the court’s approval for costs amounting to D500,000. He also requests any further orders the court deems necessary. The plaintiff has alleged that the Union has not received funds from the Dock Labour Company since 2021. When Mr. Sawo started inquiring about the Union’s dividends, the situation escalated, leading to the current legal dispute.
