Hospital consultant Daniel T. DeMeyer racks up over $200,000!
Mr. DeMeyer’s contract is for eighteen months (18) months with effect from March 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013, according to information from the Honourable Ronnie W. Skelton.
The Minister was at the time answering a question posed by Opposition Member Honourable Julian Fraser, RA during the October 9, 2012 third sitting of the second session of the second House of Assembly.
Mr. DeMeyer has the option to extend his contract within three (3) months of expiration as deemed necessary by Government. Besides a salary of $200,000 per annum, he is also entitled to paid vacation leave of 20 days per annum and will obtain a Performance-based Gratuity of 7.5 % of gross salary upon satisfactory completion of his contract.
Locals make less on hospital project!
When Mr. DeMeyer’s salary is compared to what the two local engineers on the new hospital project make, it's like night and day. Mr. Bennet Smith a former Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department and Permanent Secretary has been contracted as Project Engineer for the same eighteen (18) months with effect from September 1, 2011 to February 28, 2013.
Mr. Smith has an option to extend his contract within three (3) months of expiration as deemed necessary by Government. However, his salary is only $95,000 per annum with 20 days paid vacation leave per annum. He earns a telephone allowance of $1,200 per annum, a travel allowance of $3,000.00 per annum and a performance-based Gratuity of 5% of gross salary.
Another local, Ms. Shaina M. Smith, has been contracted as Assistant Project Engineer for the New Peebles Hospital Project. She also has an eighteen (18) months contract with effect from February 1, 2012 to July 31, 2013. Ms. Smith, a former candidate in the 2011 elections under the People’s Patriotic Alliance (PPA), earns a mere $84,000 per annum, with 20 days paid vacation leave.
Ms. Smith, herself a qualified Engineer, also gets a performance-based Gratuity of 10% of gross salary upon successful completion of contract.
This information was also obtained from the answer to a question from Hon. Julian Fraser RA, to the Minister for Health and Social Development Hon. Ronnie W. Skelton at the October 9, 2012 sitting of Parliament.
37 Responses to “Hospital consultant Daniel T. DeMeyer racks up over $200,000!”
You liar, Shania just gfot hired by the NDP after she lost in the last election, just like Kevin (OJ) and Claude and you darn well know it.
You get what you pay for boys and girls. If you want the hospital built incorrectly and unsafely then go ahead and lowball the salary and pay the inexperienced. You'll only have to pay more at a later date to fix or redo it at a higher cost. Isn't this a well known fact that has been relived multiple times in the BVI? When will the people learn?
The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night.
Brad you are the one that's sickening. If any local get a $200k contract your heads will explode so don't act all patriotic now. How can you assume the man isn't worth $200K when the article mentions nothing of his qualification, experience, prior projects etc.? Again, what major projects have Shaina and Bennet worked on? They both have been in Government sitting in offices pushing paper for most of their career. How can you say they're equally qualified to someone who may have had field experience far beyond them? It's only an issue because this man is white and VINO cannot report on HOA because VIP got their a$$ handed to them in a paper bag or no, in a shoe box! This is all this about, slow news day so let's raise the ants nest!
This hospital. project is a fiasco and a national embarrassment. Lets see the cost escalated from a current working estimate of $13M to over $100M; this figure excludes the cost for equipage, furnishing and staff training. Then the prime contractor defaulted and was allegedly paid without any retainage. Now a glorified inspector with a high sounding euphemistic engineering title is being paid at least $200K per year. And to add insult to injury, local engineers on the same floundering project is being paid approx $100K; 50% or 1/2 half Mr.. Demeyer's salary. Why the huge differential in salary?
Is it the crab in a buckeye syndrome? Is it self hatred? Is it the belief that if it comes from the outside it must be better? Is it that Mr. Demeyer's qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experience are head and shoulder above Bennett and Shaina's? What are his qualifications anyway? What is his engineering discipline? Is he a registered professional engineer? And if so has he ever had his license suspended? What is the feedback on independent references?
The people of the BVI are being raked over a bed of red hot coals. As folks gather in their cliques at their favorite watering holes, they probably compare notes and get a good laugh at our expense. They probably say in unison what a gullible set of numskulls.
Another thing is, who is paying this man. Is he being paid directly by Government or by a contractor who is contracted by Government? Again, we don't have these facts.
Just for the record, my position is not that local young engineers should earn the same as experienced seasoned engineers. However, I do take take issue when there is gross pay inequity,especially when that inequity impacts equally qualified workers. Further, if the price with a contractor is fair and reasonable, government should not not have issue with what a contractor is paying his or workers providing they are meeting minimum wage requirements.