Hundreds of Gambian tailors drawn across the country yesterday (26 June) gathered at Latrikunda Sabiji to set up a trade union. 

A task force was given a one-year mandate to work out the process in setting up the union.

Speaking at a news conference, president of the group Abubacarr Janka urged tailors in the country to join the union.

“We are not forming this union to fight the government, but we are forming it to help empower tailors in the country to know their fundamental human rights. 

“Tailors are suffering because if tailors  had to tell their stories we will spend the whole day here. Tailoring has no elder or young person because we all share the same moral obligation,” he said.

“Therefore, its high time for all tailors in this country to come together to ensure we reach where we want to go. No one can stop tailoring in this world because it is part of human life. 

Sulyaman Cham, president of Latrikunda Sabiji Tailors Association, expressed happiness about the idea to form tailors’ union in the country.

“We are committed to this idea to form a union and we are happy to be associated with this new development. Tailors are so isolated in this country and to end this, tailors must come together and form a union because we have the human capacity, and still, we cannot get ourselves a union that will regulate and empower us,” he said.

“So far, there is nothing that we can say is development from the government to the tailors in this country, and we can say we contribute to the development of the country. 

“We are training hundreds of young people to acquire the skills of tailoring. The union will not affect the operation of the [tailor] associations but it will help to strengthen their missions and objectives,” he added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba