Mandeville: He is a manager of destruction!

Angry workers and their trade union, the Commercial Technical and Allied Workers’ Union (CTAWU), gathered outside the St. Vincent Marketing Corporation on Wednesday to protest what they claimed was “the unfair redundancy of 40 workers”.

President of the CTAWU, Alice Mandeville, said the demonstration stemmed from a memo circulated at the state-owned Marketing Corporation which stated that Cabinet had decided that the National Properties Ltd. would be taking over the management of the Marketing Corporation.{{more}}

“He is a manager of destruction,” said Mandeville when she spoke to Searchlight. She was referring to manager of the Marketing Corporation, Lenroy Thomas. She accused Thomas of using “avoiding tactics” leading up to the workers being made redundant.

Admitting that the trade union expected that some of the workers would have been made redundant, Mandeville, however, said they were shocked that the procedure followed by the board was not in accordance with the law.

Mandeville said the law states that an employer should inform the recognised trade union in writing, one month prior to the termination of five or more workers.

“How could a man that came back six months ago evaluate workers?” asked a still fuming Manderville as she spoke to Searchlight at press time. She said that she felt it for workers like shop steward, Ruby Chambers, who had been with the Marketing Board for 25 years. “In 25 years she don’t have three days of sick leave on her record.”

The irate workers were very vocal as they picketed the premises of the Corporation, protesting the way they were terminated, and stating that they were not properly informed.