Ray A. George sues government!
Mr. George is a citing violation of the Labour Code in claiming that Clause G1 of his employment contract as it relates to payment of one month's salary in lieu of notice is void pursuant to section 44 (1) (a) and 91 of the Labour Code 2010.
Further Mr. George, a Virgin Islander is claiming over sixteen thousand dollars ($16,000) including, legal fees, court filing fees and interest on amount owned by the Government to him pursuant to his contract.
The case is expected to return to Court on September 25, 2012 for further hearing.
Government history of trampling on rights of workers
Over the past three to four years there has developed a culture by the Virgin Islands Government of trampling on the rights of its employees. While Mr. George was not a civil servant, but a consultant to the Ministry of Communications and Works and Government reserved the right to end his contract, many persons are seeing a pattern emerging whereby the rights of public officers are treated with reckless disregard by the Crown.
Within the last five years alone over fifteen public officers have been dismissed by government on flimsy grounds and most cannot afford to, or are afraid to challenge the Crown in the Court of laws to protect their rights and dignity under the constitution.
If you add in the statutory bodies which are semi independent bodies, with Government being the only shareholder, the number goes up even further for unfair dismissals. A few have had the courage to challenge the Government in court and in recent times have won for violation of their civil and human rights and the VI constitutional order.
What some described as even more sad and frightening is the breakdown of the rule of law. Many Public officers have openly complained that usually the persons you contact to seek remedy; Heads of Departments, Permanent Secretaries, and Governors, are most often the ones violating our rights of others, so it leaves public officers with little or no choice, at least for those who can afford it, to seek redress in the courts.
Many have also blasted the Public Service Commission, a body that should be independent and impartial, for becoming too political especially, under some former members.
Two senior civil servants who could not give their names because of General Orders restrictions told this news site, that currently, “public officers are working daily in fear of losing their jobs due to victimization, politics and being accused of leaking information to the press”…it’s a sad and horrible time to be a civil servant” one told this news site.
What is even more disappointing, is the Governor who is supposed to protect civil servants “is himself a part of the problem... where do we go?”
Since the NDP took office in November of 2011 many public officers have been fired, contracts have not been renewed, transferred, sent home for no reason, and others reassigned with nothing to do.
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