Dear Editor,
It is well known that nepotism, cronyism and favouritism have had adverse effects on an organization’s atmosphere wherever it exists, and at the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown it is no different.
It is well known that there are scores of relatives, friends, church pals and paramours of senior officers and senior officials, who are either employees of, or contractors to the Council.
The situation has gotten so bad that there are now employees who are well known to be afflicted with mental illnesses, and who either threaten violence, have a history of antisocial behavior, carry a grudge or whose general tendency is to react angrily to most situations, yet nothing is being done to correct these unacceptable circumstances, because these persons are either friends or relatives of the big ones.
There is an urgent need for the Council’s Human Resource Department to develop structures that allow for threatening behaviour to be stopped quickly and effectively. The policy should articulate the consequences for related behaviours, such as verbal threats, bullying, harassment, and other behaviours that could make an employee feel unsafe.
It is indeed sad to note that violent behaviour in our society is increasing, just look at the recent episode of a three year old child being stabbed to death. In workplaces, where there is a fear-based regime, there are secrets. The same goes for City Hall where everyone is walking on eggshells, where employee concerns are buried deep under the surface and where you see some form of schizophrenia existing in several departments.
Yours faithfully,
Modi Sankar
