Collene Hicks, who says she remains the Director of Nursing Services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), was unable to get into her office on Tuesday after the locks were changed in what is now a months-long feud with the administration.
In June this year, the administration had served Hicks with a termination letter which Hicks said was in breach of her terms of employment. She has stood her ground and refused to vacate her office, triggering Tuesday’s changing of the locks. Hicks however remains defiant and sat in her secretary’s chair for the rest of the afternoon and yesterday.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GPHC Michael Khan declined to comment when contacted by Stabroek News yesterday and referred all questions to the Minister of Health Dr George Norton who could not be contacted up to press time.
Hicks told Stabroek News yesterday that she left for lunch around 1:00 PM Tuesday leaving her senior departmental supervisor, Keith Alonzo in charge.
She later received a call informing her that her office locks were being changed. As a result, she returned to the office where she discovered that she had been locked out. Hicks said the office area was visited by the carpenter and facilities manager who informed her that they got the order to change the locks to her office door from Khan. Despite being locked out, she told Stabroek News that she had no plan to stay away from work since if she does she will be breaching her contract.
While the GPHC has said that Hicks was terminated after the end of her probationary period, Hicks and her union, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) have said that her contract made no provision for such.
The GPSU had said that the contract which was entered into on 7th April, 2015 with Hicks does not provide for a probationary period. The Terms of Engagement approved by the GPHC engaged Hicks for employment “for three (3) years continuous resident service commencing from March 16, 2015 which period, it was stated may be extended.”
In June, dozens of nurses left their patients unattended at the GPHC to protest what they said was the “wrongful” dismissal of Hicks.
The nurses stood outside of the hospital for two hours, holding up placards and calling for Khan’s removal as the hospital’s CEO.
