Hard feelings for HEART
Attorney rips training agency over handling of senior official sent on leave
Published:Friday | August 11, 2023 | 12:05 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter - -
A LAWYER representing one of the three senior officials at the HEART NSTA/Trust, who were sent on leave in February, has criticised his client's suspension from the multibillion-dollar training agency as “high-handed, oppressive, and arbitrary”.
King's Counsel Andre Earle, who is representing Sonia Ingleton, senior manager, human resource management, told The Gleaner that no disciplinary hearing has been brought against his client to date and no charges have been levelled against her in terms of any breach of discipline.
“All that is going on they say is an investigation which they (HEART) stressed is not disciplinary in nature,” he stated.
However, he said the agency has refused to produce a requested copy of a special audit report “which they seem to have done”. He said thatthe first request for this document was made in March and that subsequent requests were made.
“It looks very sinister when you don't want to produce the special audit report that you say you did that we have requested. 'Cause it looks like you have something to hide. If you have the report, why don't you produce the report?” he asked.
Managing Director at the HEART NSTA/Trust Dr Taneisha Ingleton was asked to indicate whether a special audit report had been completed and why the document was not shared with the lawyer representing Sonia Ingleton. However, she referred The Gleaner to comments made by Information Minister Robert Morgan during a post-Cabinet press breifing on Wednesday.
Morgan confirmed that the senior officials were still on leave and that there was still a process of investigation taking place. As such, “it would be challenging to comment without possibly speaking inappropriately about an investigation”.
“The industrial relations climate in Jamaica is very interesting. The simplest of comment that we make here about somebody's job reputation or allegations can be used at the IDT to say that we have compromised their rights, so we are very guarded when it comes to these sensitive matters,” he further stated.
The two other officials who were sent on leave are Novelette Denton Prince, senior director, corporate services and former acting managing director, and Oneke Dixon, manager, human resource management.
Denton Prince had previously indicated that she had sought legal advice.
Contending that the suspension is “completely inappropriate and improper”, Earle noted that he was taking instruction with a view to challenging the suspension.
He indicated, however, that a conciliation meeting was held between the parties at the Ministry of Labour in July to attempt to resolve the matter. A second meeting is to be held in November.
He told The Gleaner that his client's leave was initially supposed to be for two months, but it was extended for an additional two months and then for a further four months. He shared that his client was still receiving full salary.
“This is a stellar employee. She has been working with HEART for over 23 years. She got long service awards at five years, 10 years, and 15 years, and her appraisals that she gets have always described her as exceeding expectations,” he said.
HEART/NSTA Trust has not publicly stated why the senior officials were sent on leave.
The training agency has been rocked by a series of scandals over its governance and use of taxpayers' money in the last three years.
In January 2022, Professor Alvin Wint replaced businessman Edward Gabbidon as chairman of the entity. Gabbidon stepped down in December 2021 amid public concerns about him holding the chairmanship while being the CEO of a company that is a major technology supplier to HEART.
It was also revealed that HEART paid out undisclosed sums in new salaries to senior executives before getting the required approvals.
Audrey Sewell, then permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, later told a parliamentary committee that the contract of the former managing director, Dr Janet Dyer, was not renewed because she approved the salary hikes without authorisation from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.
After revealing that HEART spent more than $5.7 million on a board retreat with senior managers at a luxurious St Ann hotel in October, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Parliament in December that the agency was in need of a refocus and would be subject to a comprehensive strategic review.