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GEA sacks six more staff members
By Latoya Giles
Six staff members from the Guyana Energy Agency have been fired after they reportedly failed lie detector tests which were taken several weeks ago. They include Hollyann France, Nksi Dalgetty, Hillon Chester, Jenelle Noble and Nikeshia Gordon,
This newspaper was told that most of the staffers are stationed in Georgetown while one is from Linden.
This newspaper was told that the six staffers were called in to a meeting yesterday morning at the Agency’s Quamina Street location. At that meeting, they were told that their services were no longer required because they failed the polygraph tests that they were subjected to.
Some of the dismissed staffers yesterday.
One of the dismissed employees, 20-year-old Jenelle Noble, said she is still shocked over her firing. The young woman said that she worked at the GEA for just over two years and in those years she never had any disciplinary issue with the agency and there was no complaint against her or the way she did her job.
She said she agreed to submit herself to the polygraph tests when the agency told her that she needed to complete it. Still in shock, Noble said she could not believe that she would be fired over the lie detector tests since according to her she answered all of the questions truthfully.
The former Inspector said that the questions asked during the polygraph tests were not specific and had nothing to do with her job or the agency. “The questions were all very general and unrelated to my job,” she said.
France told Kaieteur News that the Chief Executive Officer, Mahendra Sharma, called each of the dismissed staff members for a meeting, individually, yesterday.
She said that she was told that she was being dismissed because she had failed a lie detector test. France said that the questions asked by the administrator for the test had nothing to do with the job. Another staffer Nksi Dalgetty, told Kaieteur News that she does not understand why she was fired.
The ethnic composition of those dismissed did not escape the notice of commentators on the issue.
Just a few weeks ago, a number of other GEA employees were fired after they refused to subject themselves to the voluntary tests. One of those dismissed is contemplating legal action since he said that he does not understand how he could have been fired for failing to undergo a test that was voluntary. The Guyana Energy Agency has been very tight-lipped on the issue.
The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) had lashed out at the GEA stating that the seniors in the organizations should lead by example and subject themselves to lie detector tests. The GPSU from the inception had denounced polygraph testing as a method of maintaining worker integrity.
GPSU Head, Patrick Yarde, had stated that the union is going to stick by workers because they firmly disbelieve in the use of polygraph testing. They also claimed bias in its application. Yarde noted that the test is not foolproof and it’s an abuse of workers’ rights. It shows “bullyism” since these workers are not obligated to take the test.”
Yarde asserted that the test is supposed to be voluntary but according to the reports, workers are forced to sign forms saying that they volunteer to be tested. Polygraph testing cannot be forced on a worker especially when it was not an option to satisfy job application, he added. It is further discriminating, Yarde charged, when the test is not applied to everyone.
In a previous interview, Yarde had stated that the test was being used more opportunistically to expel unfavoured employees and not because employees are corrupt. He told this newspaper that to ensure integrity, testing must come from the top all the way down and those found guilty should immediately face the justice system.
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