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17 question Rawle Lucas must answer
Dear Mr. Editor
I have read with utter disgust that the Chairman of the GRA Rawle Lucas has terminated the services of two Guyanese employees on the basis that the customs revenue collection was not to his liking and because the working conditions of employees are deplorable. As an honest and hardworking employee of GRA, I also take umbrage at the statement made by the Chairman that employees of the GRA cannot be trusted.
Unlike what the Chairman leads the public to believe, there are honest and trustworthy employees at the GRA. We take offense at his ridiculous statements. Never before has a board document been leaked, shared or unlawfully distributed. If the Chairman is saying he cannot trust his Corporate Secretary, he should not brand all the employees of GRA as dishonest, corrupt, incompetent and untrustworthy. I would be grateful if you can put the following questions to the Chairman for his response:
a. Are you saying that of the in excess of 1000 employees of the GRA you could find no one trustworthy?
b. Are you saying that the Corporate Secretary is untrustworthy, corrupt and dishonest?
c. Why pay a Corporate Secretary who is more qualified than your ‘personal assistant’ millions of taxpayer dollars annually if she cannot be trusted and cannot prepare the minutes and documents required by the Board and you as chairman? Why employ the Corporate Secretary if she cannot do the analysis you require or get the appropriate staff of the GRA to do same?
d. Are you aware that it is only the Corporate Secretary that should have access to board documents and confidential information and not your so called ‘personal assistant’?
e. Are you aware that there is no causal link between HR and revenue collection?
f. Are you aware as Chairman of the Board that the HR department GRA is not responsible for working conditions of staff?
g. Are you aware that the working conditions of staff are dealt with by the Facilities Management Department of the GRA? Or that the Facilities Management Division is managed by the Finance Division of the GRA?
h. Are you aware that both these departments are headed by hardworking Guyanese? Why were they not relieved of their duties because of the poor working conditions under which we work?
i. Is it only certain type of employees employed by the GRA who are performing poorly?
j. Did you issue any warning letters to these employees for poor performance?
k. Did you identify in these letters the areas in which they required improvement?
l. Did you verbally inform them of any shortcomings and poor performance?
m. Can you tell us the employees of the GRA who were the Board members present when these decisions were taken to get rid of these hardworking employees?
n. Are you aware that under the Chairmanship of your predecessors and under the stewardship of Khurshid Sattaur revenue increased exponentially year on year for several years consecutively?
o. Are you aware that no other chairman requested, demanded or had the facilities you have, yet they were able to get the job done effectively?
p. Can you tell us the employees of the GRA what you intend to do with all of the untrustworthy staff? We have families to feed and we need to plan our lives so we need to know if you intend to dismiss us based your perceptions, whims or fancies. Or perhaps dismiss us to make way for your young bright competent and trustworthy ‘personal’ assistant.
q. Can you tell us how you intend to improve our working conditions?
Thank you Mr. Editor and Kaieteur News for standing up for the employees of the GRA and our rights.
Senior GRA employee
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