PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Communications Union (SMCU) believes that utility company GEBE is under dictatorship by its present management team headed by Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andrew Zagers and Human Resources Manager Clifford Sasso.
The union met with GEBE management last week to discuss several matters pertaining to an employee who had received a warning letter. The meeting was an introduction of the union as the new representative of the employees at GEBE. Prior to the meeting, the SMCU requested a number of documents. A follow-up meeting was requested with the Human Resource Manager the following day to discuss a grievance from one of the employees.
According to the union, one employee recently received a warning letter from the management based on the employee’s performance. The employee contested the warning as the collective labour agreement (CLA) allows, but management ignored the articles in the company’s CLA.
SMCU President Ludson Evers said in a press release Sunday, “In the meeting of Wednesday, August 10, the SMCU gave the reasons why the warning is unwarranted and also indicated to Sasso where and how Zagers is violating three articles of the CLA which are the employee rights, and the SMCU informed Sasso that he must know the CLA with his eyes closed and give the right advice to Zagers, the Acting CEO of GEBE.
“Sasso requested some hours to get back to the SMCU because he had to discuss the matter with Zagers, who is the only one in the managing board of GEBE. At 4:00pm, Sasso sent an e-mail to the president of SMCU informing that after intensive discussion with the managing board the warning still stands, even when it is clearly indicated where they are violating the rights of the employee in question.”
For this reason SMCU concludes that there is a dictatorship going on in the company, because Zagers and Sasso show absolutely no respect for the documents that govern the employees of GEBE.
SMCU had a general meeting with the GEBE employees and informed them of the two gentlemen’s unprofessional action. SMCU also informed the employees that it would do all in its power to get GEBE structure as it is supposed to be, but if SMCU continues receiving negative resistance, it leaves SMCU and its members no other alternative than to start calling urgent meetings during working hours.
