Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
NIS suspends two staffers on customer complaint
Union mounts protest, demand revocation of order – Norris Witter
An urgent meeting is set to be conducted today between the Board of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union in order to address the suspension of two NIS employees.
The protesters in action on Wednesday
This disclosure was made by President of the General Workers Union and Acting General Secretary of the Guyana Trade Union Congress, Mr Norris Witter who revealed that a meeting in this regard was held yesterday between the union and the management of the insurance company.
The meet, he said, came as a direct result of protest action engaged by the union on Wednesday outside the NIS Brickdam office to protest the manner in which the employees were suspended.
According to Witter, the one-month suspension without pay commenced on September 3 and came to an end yesterday.
However, although the employees will be able to return to work today it is the intent of the union to ensure that the employees are fully compensated and relieved of the embarrassment they would have suffered as a result of the ordeal.
Wednesday’s protest action was led by Witter, and saw support from staffers and other union representatives who displayed placards to emphasise their disgust at the situation.
Witter had related that on September 3 last, Anthony Dean, the acting manager for the Vreed-en-Hoop branch was suspended for one month purely on an allegation by a claimant that she was mistreated.
A similar treatment was meted out to a senior clerk, Ms Keneisha Meusa, of the same branch.
“No effort was made to investigate thoroughly the allegations that were made and contained in a newspaper article (Letter to the Editor). And from what we know the claimant happens to be a close friend of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP),” Witter disclosed.
According to him, the workers were suspended based on a decision made by the NIS Board, which is in fact chaired by Dr Roger Luncheon, a senior member of the PPP, which suggests that the action was politically motivated.
Witter said that the action of the Board has been considered in detail by the union, adding there has been no evidence to corroborate the allegations that Ms Parvattie Persaud-Edwards, the claimant, was mistreated in any way.
“What is strange about this whole development is that it was not the management per se that effected the disciplinary action against these two employees…Our understanding is that it was the Board. For the Board to have acted in the manner it did was not only a false move but it showed total disregard for basic industrial relation principles and procedures and we will not tolerate this nonsense.”
According to Witter, all of the statements perused with regards to the complaints made by the claimant so far seem to suggest that the two victimised employees did nothing wrong to have warranted the actions taken against them.
He pointed out that the union is demanding that the letters of suspension be rescinded and apologies be offered to the workers who have suffered at the hand of the management of the NIS unnecessarily.
“Justice must prevail not only for Dean and Keneisha but for all NIS employees and we are prepared, if needs be, to intensify the struggle…”
However, based on the meeting yesterday, Witter said that the union is now prepared to put a hold on furthering its action in hope that good sense would prevail.
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