Over 350 support staff workers are demanding explanations from the Chief Justice regarding what they refer to as a “unfulfilled” promise of a pay increase, which is causing tension within The Gambia’s judiciary. The Judicial Officers (Conditions of Service) Bill 2025, which was just passed, greatly raised the pay and perks of judges, magistrates, cadis, and senior judicial officers while excluding the lower-level employees who maintain the courts. This has led to dissatisfaction.
The resentful workers, who include court clerks, registrars, process servers, transcribers, bailiffs, drivers, and cleaners, have petitioned the Chief Justice through their umbrella organization, the Judiciary Staff Association, calling for clarification and prompt action. Sources informed Foroyaa that the personnel had previously seen the Chief Justice during consultations for the Bill, during which he purportedly assured them that they would be included in the new pay system. Unfortunately for them, however, the Bill was enacted with no provisions for them.
Without us, the magistrates and judges could not operate. Drivers, registrars, bailiffs, clerks, process servers, transcribers, and cleaners are all of us. One insider bemoaned, “They can’t raise their salaries and disregard us.”
Following what they called a “false promise” from the President of the Judiciary, the support personnel said they feel deceived. Some recalled that on November 18, 2020, they had protested low wages and unfavorable working conditions by staging a similar strike, which shut down court operations across the country. “We are prepared to have a constructive conversation with the authorities, but we cannot stand by and let them carry out their current actions. We will go on a sit-down strike if they don’t comply with our demands,” another insider stated.
Last Thursday, the National Assembly enacted Judicial Officers (Conditions of Service) Bill 2025. It includes enormous wage and allowance packages for top court personnel, with monthly gasoline allowances alone reaching tens of thousands of dalasis. The Chief Justice will now earn D70,000 as fuel allowance, while each Supreme Court judge will receive D35,000, in accordance with the authorized scale. Judges of the Court of Appeal and High Court will receive D30,000 and D25,000, respectively, while the President of the Court of Appeal will receive D30,000.
The Bill also includes large monthly salaries and benefits across various judge grades. With a base salary of D100,000 and a total value of D290,000 in benefits, including D10,000 for a phone, D50,000 for housing, D70,000 for a responsibility allowance, D20,000 for special skills, D18,000 for utilities, D10,000 for domestic help, and D12,000 for robbery, the Chief Justice is at the top of the list.
The base pay for each Supreme Court judge will be D70,000, plus D21,000 in benefits. This covers D8,000 for the phone, D35,000 for accommodation, D50,000 for accountability, D15,000 for specialized skills, D14,000 for utilities, D9,000 for domestic help, and D10,000 for theft.
The Court of Appeal President will get D61,000 in base pay and D129,000 in benefits, for a total compensation of D190,000. Telephone D7,000, housing D30,000, responsibility D48,000, special talents D12,000, utilities D13,000, domestic staff D9,000, and robbery D10,000 are among the allowances.
Each Court of Appeal judge will get D55,000 in base pay and D115,000 in benefits, for a monthly total of D170,000. Judges of the High Court will receive D154,000 a month, which includes D50,000 for their base pay and D104,000 for their allowances.
The Judicial Secretary will go home each month with D75,447.15 net pay, consisting of D29,250 basic salary and allowances amounting to D52,342.98, including D4,000 for telephone, D6,000 for housing, D15,000 responsibility, D9,842.98 special skills, D10,000 residential, D10,000 risk, and D4,000 robing.
Each month, his deputy and the Master of the High Court will get D62,306.34 in net remuneration, which includes D50,000 in allowances and a basic income of D16,964. The D4,000 phone, D6,000 rent, D10,000 responsibility, D5,000 specific skills, D3,500 residential, D7,000 risk, D10,500 monetised fuel, and D4,000 robbery are all covered by these allowances.
The Chief Magistrate’s gross salary at the magistracy is D51,615, and after taxes, their net salary is D47,544.59. The net pay for Senior Magistrates and Senior Cadis is D35,843.09, while the net pay for Principal Magistrates is D37,514.59. Each Principal Cadi receives D37,514.59 net, while Magistrates receive D34,762.50 net. Cadis receive D29,762 net.
With a monthly allowance of D47,000, the Sheriff, who leads the Sheriff Division at the High Court, receives D61,615 gross and D57,544.59 net. Each of the Ulama in the Cadi Appeals Panel will get D51,306.34 net and D55,964 gross.
Opinions within and outside the judiciary are highly divided over this wage system, which was adopted by the National Assembly. Senior judicial officers applauded it as a long-overdue acknowledgement of their constitutional responsibilities, while the support personnel saw it as a sign of disrespect and inequity.
A deeper history of disillusionment is also reflected in the dissatisfaction. The Judicial Officers Remuneration and Other Entitlements Bill was rejected by the National Assembly in September 2023. The Minister of Justice subsequently reintroduced the bill, but it was met with fierce opposition once more in 2024. Following widespread demonstrations, the Minister was compelled to revoke the Bill and substitute the current Judicial Officers (Conditions of Service) Bill 2025.
The Judiciary is currently dealing with new internal problems as the Bill has passed all parliamentary levels and is awaiting presidential assent. “We are left behind even if we were a member of the judiciary when they battled for better conditions. One irritated employee told Foroyaa, “They didn’t take us into consideration.”
The support staff has stated that they will not keep quiet if their concerns are disregarded, especially while the petition is currently before the Chief Justice. A worker threatened, recalling the 2020 strike that severely disrupted court operations nationwide, “We will strike again if they don’t fulfill their promise.”
The Chief Justice is under increasing pressure to bargain or risk another industrial action that might upend the nation’s legal system as the Judiciary awaits the President’s approval of the Bill.
