Labor Law Reform
Building the labour system that protects every worker
The Gambia's current labour framework fails workers and businesses simultaneously, and in doing so, fails the entire economy. For workers, minimum wage provisions exist on paper but are rarely enforced. Occupational health and safety standards are poorly defined and inconsistently applied. Maternity protections and leave entitlements that are legally prescribed are routinely ignored by employers who face no real consequence for non-compliance. Workers in the informal sector, which accounts for the vast majority of Gambian employment, have essentially no formal labour protections at all. For businesses, the rules governing employment contracts, redundancy, and termination are unclear, unevenly applied, and in some respects so burdensome that they deter formal hiring. An employer who cannot predict the legal and financial consequences of hiring someone is less likely to hire formally. The result is an economy with a large, unprotected, under-compensated informal workforce and a formal sector that is smaller and less dynamic than it should be. The National Builders Party will build the labour framework that serves both workers and businesses, because a nation that protects its workers protects its future.
A Gambia where every person who works is treated with dignity, paid fairly, and protected by law. Where a market trader, a domestic worker, a construction laborer, and a corporate employee all operate within the same basic framework of rights and protections. Where businesses have clear, predictable, and fair employment rules that make formal hiring the straightforward, attractive choice. Where disputes between workers and employers are resolved quickly, affordably, and without lawyers as a prerequisite for access. Where the Gambian workforce is skilled, protected, and productive enough to attract the investment that creates more and better work. Work is the foundation of every family's security and every nation's prosperity. The National Builders Party will build the labour system that honours that foundation.
The NBP will enact a comprehensive Employment Relations Act replacing the outdated labour legislation with a single, modern statute covering individual employment rights, collective labour relations, dispute resolution, and labour market institutions.
The Act will be aligned with the ILO core conventions that The Gambia has ratified. Coverage will extend to all employment relationships, whether formal or informal, full-time, part-time, casual, or fixed-term. Domestic workers, agricultural workers, and workers in small enterprises will all be included within the scope of the Act with provisions adapted to their specific contexts. A clear definition of the boundary between employment and self-employment will prevent the misclassification of employees as independent contractors to avoid employment law obligations. The Act will apply to all employers operating in The Gambia, including foreign investors and government-owned enterprises, with no categorical exemptions.
The NBP will establish a statutory National Minimum Wage as a non-negotiable floor below which no Gambian employer may pay any worker, regardless of sector, size, or location.
The initial minimum wage will be set through a process conducted by the National Labour Standards Authority, drawing on data from the Gambia Bureau of Statistics on the cost of a basic decent living standard, household income surveys, and the financial capacity of employers across different sectors and regions. The wage will be expressed as an hourly rate, applying universally to full-time, part-time, casual, and hourly-paid workers without requiring complex calculation. A mandatory two-year review cycle will require the NLSA to assess the rate against inflation and cost of living changes and publish a recommended adjustment for Cabinet approval. Payment of any amount below the national minimum wage will be a criminal offence, with the NLSA obliged to pursue recovery of underpaid wages on behalf of affected workers.
The NBP will establish clear wage payment standards so that the right to a minimum wage is backed by the practical guarantee that wages are paid reliably, on time, and in a transparent and verifiable form.
All wages must be paid at defined regular intervals not exceeding one month for salaried workers and one week for daily-rated workers. A written payslip must accompany every wage payment, showing gross earnings, all deductions with their basis, and net pay. Deductions from wages will be permitted only for categories defined in the Act, including tax withholding, social security, and agreed savings or loan repayments. No deductions may reduce take-home pay as a form of punishment or without written consent. Wage payment must be made in Gambian Dalasi through bank transfer, mobile money, or cash. Employers who consistently underpay or withhold wages will face escalating consequences including criminal prosecution for persistent or deliberate non-compliance.
The NBP will enshrine in law the core rights that every Gambian worker is entitled to, including paid leave, maternity and paternity protections, occupational health and safety, and freedom from discrimination and harassment.
Annual leave, paid sick leave, maternity leave, and paternity leave entitlements will be set as statutory minimums that no employment contract may reduce. An Occupational Safety and Health Act, enacted alongside the Employment Relations Act, will define minimum safety standards for all workplaces, require employers to conduct risk assessments, provide safety equipment, and report and investigate workplace injuries. Non-discrimination in hiring, pay, promotion, and dismissal on grounds of gender, religion, ethnicity, disability, pregnancy, or family status will be legally enforceable. A mandatory workplace harassment prevention framework will require all employers above a defined size to have a published anti-harassment policy, a confidential reporting mechanism, and a trained designated officer to receive complaints.
The NBP will establish the National Labour Standards Authority as the independent body responsible for enforcing the Employment Relations Act, inspecting workplaces, investigating complaints, and protecting workers who cannot protect themselves.
The NLSA will conduct proactive, risk-based labour inspections across all sectors and regions, prioritising workplaces with the highest risk of non-compliance. Inspectors will be trained, regionally deployed, and empowered to issue compliance notices, require back-pay of underpaid wages, and refer persistent violators for prosecution. A public NLSA Compliance Register will list employers with outstanding violations and those who have achieved compliance certification. An employer compliance certification programme will publicly recognise businesses that consistently maintain good labour standards, creating reputational incentives for compliance. The NLSA will also deploy worker education outreach in informal sector markets, helping workers understand and assert their rights.
The NBP will establish Employment Tribunals in every administrative region, giving workers and employers a fast, affordable, and genuinely accessible route to resolving disputes without requiring expensive legal representation as a prerequisite for access to justice.
Employment Tribunals will hear cases covering unfair dismissal, unpaid wages, discrimination, and breach of employment contract. A pre-tribunal conciliation service operated by the NLSA will attempt to resolve disputes before they reach formal hearing, reducing the caseload on tribunals and producing faster outcomes for both parties. Tribunal proceedings will be conducted in plain language accessible to unrepresented parties. Filing fees will be set at levels affordable to low-income workers. Tribunal decisions will be published, building a body of case law that provides guidance to employers and workers. A National Wage Recovery Fund will provide emergency payment of unpaid wages to workers whose employers have become insolvent or cannot be located, with recovery action pursued by the NLSA against the employer.
The NBP will extend labour protections to flexible, seasonal, and gig economy workers while ensuring that flexible employment arrangements are never used as a mechanism to deny workers the basic rights they are entitled to.
Fixed-term contracts are permitted for genuinely temporary or project-specific work, but may not be used to deny workers the Act's protections, and repeated renewal of fixed-term contracts for work that is in practice permanent will result in the worker being deemed permanent. Part-time workers will have the same rights per hour worked as full-time workers in comparable positions. Casual employment is recognised for genuinely irregular work, with casual workers entitled to the minimum wage and basic safety protections. A platform and digital economy employment framework will be developed addressing the specific challenges of gig economy classification and minimum standards. Informal sector workers who cannot yet be brought into full formal employment will receive targeted outreach, simplified registration pathways, and access to the NLSA complaints process.
The National Builders Party will enshrine and protect the right to form and join trade unions, to bargain collectively, and to take lawful industrial action, while establishing the procedural framework that makes these rights workable for both workers and employers.
Workers have the right to form and join trade unions without interference from their employer. Employers must recognise and bargain in good faith with unions representing a defined share of their workforce. Sector Wage Councils will be established in major employment sectors, bringing together employer associations and unions to agree sector-wide wage rates above the national minimum. Workers have the right to strike in furtherance of a legitimate collective dispute after exhausting prescribed dispute resolution procedures, with seven days' notice required. Essential service workers in healthcare, water supply, and emergency services will operate under minimum service obligations during any strike. Replacement of striking workers with temporary workers during a protected strike is prohibited.
For Workers
A minimum wage you can rely on, reviewed every two years against the cost of living. A written payslip with every payment. Paid leave, sick days, and maternity and paternity protection that no employer can legally take from you. A free conciliation service and an Employment Tribunal in your region when your rights are violated. And if you work in the informal sector, you are no longer outside the system. Core protections apply to you too.
For Young Gambians
Clear, predictable employment rules make formal hiring more attractive to businesses, which means more formal jobs for you. The equal pay and non-discrimination provisions mean your gender, ethnicity, or disability cannot legally be used to pay you less or deny you a promotion you earned. Gig economy and platform workers are brought within the framework, recognising the way your generation works. A labour market that protects workers is a labour market that young people can build careers in.
For Employers and Businesses
Clear rules, consistently applied, benefit the majority of employers who already treat their workers well. You will no longer compete for workers against employers who cut corners on pay and safety. Clear redundancy and termination procedures remove the legal uncertainty that currently discourages formal hiring. An NLSA compliance certification programme will publicly recognise your good practice and give you a competitive advantage in attracting talent. A labour market that works for workers works better for the businesses that employ them.
The New National Standard in labour is this: every Gambian who works is treated with dignity, paid fairly, and protected by law. The work they do matters. The hours they give matter. Their safety at work matters. Their right to come home to their family without injury matters. Their right to organise, to negotiate, and to refuse work that will harm them matters. Those are not radical demands. They are the standards that ILO member states committed to decades ago. They are the standards that reputable employers in The Gambia already meet because they know that a treated worker is a productive worker. The Employment Relations Act will extend those standards to every employer and every worker in the country. Not as a burden on business. As the foundation of a labour market that attracts investment, retains talent, and builds the middle class that sustains a democracy. The National Builders Party will build that foundation.
A nation's true development is inseparable from the welfare and dignity of its workforce. By combining international labour standards with locally relevant practices, the National Builders Party will create a sustainable job market that attracts investment, encourages entrepreneurship, and builds a strong, secure middle class.
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