Dear Editor,
I refer to the correspondence of the acting Chief Labour Officer, Mr Charles Ogle, to the leadership of Operation Rescue UG in which he stated that an employer can terminate an employee’s contract provided that payment is given in lieu of adequate notice. If that is legal, then where does that leave adherence to the country’s constitution and natural law as Dr Thomas Singh of Operation Rescue UG asked? So an employer walks into the office, gives a letter to an employee stating that the contract is dissolved and in lieu of adequate notice, gives the employee three months’ salary.
Is this the way UG operates? Isn’t this worse than when the Burnham government was in control? If this is the way UG is made to function then as a matter of national urgency, I call upon the opposition in the National Assembly to amend the University of Guyana Act so that no UG employee can be fired without being given a reason and a hearing. But more importantly a law has to be ancient and fascist that allows an employer to terminate a contract without a stated reason and without recourse to at least a brief explanation from the employee. I ask the opposition if this is what they will allow to continue in Guyana now that they have majority control in Parliament
It is funny and ironic that the report into my contract termination at UG came at the same time as the Chief Justice’s ruling in the Henry Greene rape allegation. The DPP recommends a rape charge for a citizen. He goes to court and asks that he not be charged because the DPP acted wrongly. The court agrees based on law. But my contract at UG could be terminated without a reason being given to me and the law says that that is correct. My contract termination at UG falls within the realm of constitutional law. I may try within days to obtain an injunction against the UG Council based on discrimination and violation of my rights.
Yours faithfully,
Frederick Kissoon
