Industrial relations heat simmering at JFB

The dismissals in June and September of two senior Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) managers have raised serious concerns, prompting three trade unions to seek the intervention of Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie.

The first dismissal occurred on June 14, when the senior director for human resources was informed by email that her services were terminated with immediate effect, following a meeting of the JFB board chaired by Russell Hadeed. The director, who had been seconded from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, had completed her six-month probation two months earlier and was shocked by the sudden decision. She sought assistance from the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA), which has since brought the matter to court.

On Friday, JCSA President Techa Clarke-Griffiths told The Sunday Gleaner that the matter is awaiting adjudication.

“The matter is currently in the courts, but I can tell you that this is a highly competent person, who, in the time there, had created harmony and she was getting the job done and doing it well. I can also tell you that it is rare when the unions come together like they did,” she noted.

Clarke-Griffiths said that the JCSA initially sought to settle the matter amicably and requested a meeting with the JFB board.

“The board did not want to meet with the union. It only wanted to meet with the lawyer, and we said, ‘No, this is our member’. Because of the lack of response, the union through our lawyers missed the time for an Injunction against the JFB and to cause them not to fill the position. The position was advertised and the lawyer’s advice was that they could not be forced not to advertise the position,” she explained.

BREACH OF CONTRACT

Five days after the June 14 meeting and termination of the secondment, the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO) and the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU) wrote to Hadeed, citing procedural breaches and breach of contract.

The unions’ letter, which was seen by The Sunday Gleaner, was copied to McKenzie and Permanent Secretary Marsha Henry-Martin.

“ ... We have to remind that dismissals in the Brigade should only follow workers (uniformed and non-uniformed) being charged and found guilty of a disciplinary offence. The procedures are provided in the Terms and Conditions of Service Manuals for both the uniformed and non-uniformed staff, as well as in the Disciplinary Policy for Public Bodies manual … ,” a section of the June 19 letter read.

The unions sought clarity from the board, noting that the senior director had been performing well in her role.

With more than three months of silence since their letter to the JFB board, the unions, now joined by the JCSA, penned an October 11 letter to the board restating the concerns. Signed by JCSA President Clarke-Griffiths, JALGO General Secretary Helene Davis-Whyte, and a signee for Osmond Campbell, negotiation officer for UAWU, they also called for McKenzie’s urgent intervention.

Clarke-Griffiths said it was instructive that the dismissal letter came from the board and not from JFB Commissioner Stewart Beckford, who is the organisation’s administrative head.

“We are trying to prevent industrial action there, but there is unrest because persons have expressed their frustrations and some persons want to strike [because of] what has happened and other pressing and outstanding matters. So there is unrest,” she said, noting that mechanics, for example, had not received a raise in more than a decade.

RETURNED TO FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY

As they await the decision of the courts, the woman has returned to her substantive post at the foreign affairs ministry.

But even as they tried to get this situation reviewed, word came in late September that the senior director for industrial relations was also dismissed.

Clarke-Griffiths said this person was not a member of the JCSA.

Davis-Whyte told The Sunday Gleaner that while Henry-Martin called her to say she has been asked to investigate the matter, there has been no response from the board.

“Both of these persons ... were interviewed and were found to be successful for promotions within the service [before they were appointed]. In the case of the industrial relations official, the decision [to let her go] was taken while she was off on sick leave. So the HR department has been, essentially, decimated [as] I understand that another person may also have left,” Davis-Whyte said.

The unions emphasised that the individuals fired were skilled, experienced, and had been key to maintaining harmony within the JFB.

“It cannot be that the JFB wants disharmony, so it must be something else,” she suggested.

When contacted by The Sunday Gleaner, JFB Commissioner Beckford said he could not comment on the matter at this time.

Hadeed did not respond to messages sent by The Sunday Gleaner last week.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com