GPU Rallies Journalists’ Associations to Push Media Owners on CBA Signing, Welfare. By Raymond Enoch
The Gambia Press Union (GPU) has intensified its advocacy for improved welfare and working conditions in the country’s media sector, calling on all journalists’ associations to actively engage media employers and push for the signing of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The call was made on Tuesday during the official launch of the Welfare and Solidarity Committee of the Sports Journalists’ Association of The Gambia (SJAG), an initiative described by the GPU as a major step toward institutionalizing support systems for media professionals.
Speaking at the event, GPU Vice President Sheriff Saidykhan said the establishment of the SJAG committee aligns squarely with the union’s long-standing campaign to secure better welfare standards for journalists across The Gambia.
“This initiative is in line with the GPU’s advocacy for improved welfare of media workers in The Gambia,” Saidykhan stated, stressing that health and welfare provisions remain a core pillar of the GPU’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
He urged other GPU affiliates and journalists’ organizations to emulate SJAG by setting up welfare committees that can strengthen collective advocacy for safer, fairer and more dignified working conditions.
“With today’s launch of the SJAG Welfare and Solidarity Committee, the GPU would like to urge other affiliates to also consider establishing welfare committees that would support advocacy for better working conditions,” he said.
Saidykhan further challenged journalists’ associations to take the lead in engaging media owners and managers, noting that collective pressure from organized bodies is essential to accelerate the adoption of the CBA.
“The GPU therefore calls on all affiliates and other journalists’ organizations to endeavour to engage media employers on behalf of their members and to encourage them to sign the CBA,” he added.
The newly launched SJAG Welfare and Solidarity Committee is mandated to design a structured framework to support members facing personal hardships, including illness, while also institutionalizing an annual SJAG Remembrance Day to honor deceased colleagues and celebrate their professional contributions.
The GPU described the initiative as a landmark move that reflects deep professional solidarity within the sports journalism community.
“It is a significant show of camaraderie that will go a long way in ensuring lasting solidarity among sports journalists in The Gambia,” Saidykhan noted.
Beyond applauding SJAG, the GPU also issued a direct appeal to media owners and managers, urging them to demonstrate concrete commitment in 2026 by signing the CBA and prioritizing journalists’ welfare.
“We strongly believe that investing in the health and safety of media workers is crucial to the realization of improved working conditions and a more conducive media working environment,” Saidykhan said.
The CBA provides a comprehensive framework for protecting media workers, including provisions for health and life insurance in recognition of the risks journalists face during assignments. It also guarantees work-related benefits in line with existing labour laws, covering both full-time and part-time employees across media houses.
Importantly, the agreement extends protections to freelancers, drawing from the Charter of Freelance Rights, which affirms their right to unionize, receive written contracts with fair terms, prompt payment, and equal treatment in health and safety matters.
In addition to welfare and safety provisions, the CBA stipulates structured salary progression, entitling journalists and media workers to an annual increment of at least one percent of their basic salary, or a minimum three percent increment every three years.
Despite the breadth of the agreement, compliance remains worryingly low. From a media landscape comprising over 30 radio stations, five television stations, six newspapers and about 20 online platforms, only six media houses have so far signed the CBA.
For the GPU, the message is clear: without collective action and sustained engagement, the welfare gap in The Gambia’s media industry will persist. The union insists that the time has come for journalists’ associations and media owners alike to translate commitments into action and secure a safer, fairer future for media professionals nationwide.
