(Jamaica Observer) HOUSEHOLD worker Sharon Ferguson has seemingly, in cricket terms, been given out off a no-ball after spending over 15 years at the crease batting for one of Jamaica’s legends.
Ferguson cared for former Test cricket umpire John “Johnny” Gayle, and his wife Marjorie who predeceased him, but after Gayle died September 15 at age 96, the live-in household worker was dismissed without the requisite compensation that would follow, including redundancy. She was given one week’s verbal notice, and pay for five days.
Ferguson was also given an ultimatum to move, which expired on Friday, but before that had water to the premises cut off, for one day last week.
Now, the matter could be headed for a legal showdown as Ferguson, who said she was employed by daughter of the deceased man, Alethia Gayle Archer, in 2005 to look after her parents, is insisting that she ought to be paid off, and has engaged the services of veteran attorney-at-law, former Public Defender Earl Witter, QC, to represent her interest.
Witter has since written to Gayle Archer, who is said to be living in the United States but who came to Jamaica to manage funeral arrangements for her father, who has two other sons, Errol and Val.
Witter, in a letter to Gayle Archer dated October 6 copied to Ferguson and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, a copy of which was seen briefly by the Jamaica Observer, demanded full compensation for Ferguson, and pledged to fight her battle with vigour to ensure that justice is served.
Among the demands made by Witter is for 20 weeks’ salary to be paid to Ferguson, representing two weeks’ per year for the first 10 years of her continuous employment, a further 15 weeks’ pay representing three weeks compensation per year for the last five years of her employment, and five weeks’ pay in lieu of notice, based upon the provisions of the Employment (Termination and Redundancy Payments) Act, 1974.
