A former security guard at the Modern Medical Complex says he is yet to be given his severance payment, almost a year after he and the other personnel were sent home.
Junior Quow, Georgetown resident, told iWitness News that he worked at the complex from 2015 to January 2019.
“One evening I reported to work, I saw Guardsman personnel on the compound. When I inquired, the administrator told us that Guardsman took over the contract.
“I asked them about our severance and they said that they were told that we would be taken care of after the Budget.
“The Budget came and finished and I noticed no monies came into my account. I did further inquiries and was told that the government said they have no money,” Quow told iWitness News.
Quow was employed during the construction phase of the medical facility, which opened in July 2018, and his employment continued until this past January.
He said that the permanent secretaries in the ministries of Health and Works both had to sign before they could be paid.
Quow said that while he was paid all outstanding wages, he is yet to receive payment of his severance package.
He said that about five security guards and four office workers are yet to receive their severance payment.
Quow said that when the complex opened in July 2018, the other employees were paid off but there was other work going on, so the office staff and the security officer were still employed.
He said that some of the former workers who are owed severance payment are complaining quietly.
“Every day I meet them, they are complaining, but nobody seems to be willing to come forward and air their views because most of them, they support the government, like myself. But, my thing is that I don’t concern about supporting government or whatever. I just want what is owed to me,” Quow told iWitness News.
Common thread in vincy. When they not allowing foreigner to rip off vincentians and skip town, it’s the government doing it. Even when the government wrong someone and the courts order reperations, they ignore the courts. What a country. Darm shame.
Me hear dem say dat no money na day ah de Government Treasury fo pay man, an dat ah why de brodder an dem odder workers caar get no kile.
But watch yoh nuh dready, ah how come de man dem who ah run tings, ah sen dem family an all kind ah people, wid so much big pay, ah U.N fe fix de world? Dat nah right!
Dem tings day nah right dread! An watch yoh nuh ahgen! How come dem ha so much CASH fo gee way to de new student’s dem at “$500 gift award” ah pap, but dem caar pay de poor lickle man im wage?
True ting dread, dem nah care bout de small lickle man! Boy, if im ha pickney ah doors an im gal naar wok either, man all ah dem ah go suck salt fo true!
Aah, watch yoh nuh ahgen! Dem say de man im ha fo go see Julian but Julian ah go sen im fo see de young gal ah de U.N but wait nuh de U.N young gal nar go sen im fo go se de bway ah de Treasury? An wah? Dat day bway day ah go sen im fogo se big bass dady.
An watch yah! Dady nar go day yah yo know, im ah go lang garn ah foreign fe beg fo some more kile, yo na see! Boy tings really get hard ah dis yah lan yah……….So me hear dem say!
Happened to the Port Police, happened to the irrigation workers, happened to lots of people and there is absolutely nothing you can do about. Make enough fuss and they will destroy you. Not just you but your family and extended family may never work again. Your children and grand children will never get scholarships. So shut up and swallow your pride and just get used to being robbed.
Severance Pay is great for a departing employee (as long as they get it) but obviously terrible for a business. In my opinion it is a real business killer. In most countries it does not exist. In SVG I do not think most businesses have a choice and that it is part of the law. Apparently this is also true for government positions. What a terrible thing! Just think of a situation where you are compelled to get rid of a person or persons (what if they were high-paid and have been there 30 years!) because they decided they were not going to produce anymore or were giving business secrets to the competition or whatever and then you have to find thousands or ten-of-thousands of dollars to dole out to them like a reward for the bad performance! I have seen too much in SVG already where the workers attempt to manipulate the management, such as “I am going to do poor work unless I get a pay-raise.” I am sure it is not the case in this instance but nevertheless I would never want to have a business with permanent employees in SVG.
It is good that this worker came forward. It takes courage. We all see what happened to the Irrigation Workers when they went public that they had not been paid for months. They closed the department and they all lost thier jobs! Apparently governments do not like it when thier wrong-doings become exposed and they normally punish those people even more, but what does this person have to lose? The government may go after him in some other way. Ask Julian Assange. Obama went after “whistle-blowers” with a vengeance, and prosecuted more than all presidents in history combined!
If you are going to expose “wrong-doings” or corruption of the government(s) you have to expect the worst and be ready for the consequences. They only want the public to know about the good things they do. The government in SVG does do some great things but they need to concentrate on thier obligations to the public that we often do not see, things NOT in the “limelight”, such as upkeep of our schools.
I am sure that during a private conversation Kenton Chance can tell us more than we want to hear about government’s failed obligations and then punishing those that bring it to public notice.