The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) is calling on all Guyanese and their organisations to speak out against what it described as the “spiteful dismissal” of the acting kitchen manager of President’s College, Claudia Shultz.
She was dismissed by the school’s board chairman, David De Groot last week reportedly because she sent out breakfast to the protesting students of the school.
However, the woman’s dismissal letter stated that she was fired for insubordination. A release from the WPA said that Shultz is a victim of the “worst kind of plantation high-handedness and injustice.” It stated that not withstanding that the woman has eleven years of service at the school she was found guilty of the crime of sending tea to the protesting students. “Clearly, the chairman of the school board, a Mr De Groot, is living in another country.” The release further stated that it is clear the inhuman conditions that drove the students to protest reflect not on Shultz or any other employee, but on management, De Groot and the board.
The WPA said it supports all efforts to reinstate the woman who, “apart from the other absurdities, has been accused of trespassing at her workplace of eleven years.”
Shultz had told Stabroek News that she was also blamed for sustaining the protest by sending out breakfast for the students on the Golden Grove Public Road while they were demonstrating against the quality of water they were receiving.
She had said that she was summoned to a meeting and was asked by the chairman where she got permission from to take food out to the students.
“When he asked me that I turn and ask him why he asking me that when there were other important matters to be looked into like the worms which were found in some of the water the students had to use.” She had said the chairman objected to her explanations and continued to insist that she state where she got permission from to carry the food.
The woman had said she felt that the other issues were more important and instead of pressuring her to find out why she sent out food the chairman should have paid attention to the real issues facing them. She received her dismissal letter the following day but has been reporting for duty since her union, the Guyana Public Service Union, has instructed her to do so while they seek a meeting with De Groot.
