Dear Editor,
As many will remember, in April 2017 the Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith took to the media claiming that UG staff have been stealing millions from the campus. In that same month, some dead UPS batteries went missing from the Centre for Information Technology (CIT) building. Its estimated value on the scrap metal market was less than $40,000. Three senior network technicians reported the batteries missing to the manager and later to the internal security.
Two things should be noted: (i) the CIT has its own internal camera and (ii) there are cameras outside the building, which are controlled by internal security. When the network technicians asked the manager to review the cameras they were informed that their cameras were not working. They then asked the same of internal security and were told the same. This is the same security system the university paid close to 40 million dollars to have installed to curb theft and security issues.
The police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was called in and all CIT staff were interviewed in the presence of the Public Relations Officer. The unions were never informed of the police intervention. During the interview, staff members asked if they could go for lunch or have something to drink. They were told they were not allowed to leave the room. After the CID officers and the VC had a long talk, each staff member was interviewed separately by five CID officers.
They were questioned on policy at CIT and were asked to write statements on policy and procedures and not on the core issue of the missing items or who may have stolen it. The police were informed by all staff during the interview that the key to the room from where the batteries went missing is kept at the security desk and all CIT staff have access to the key and room.
After the interview, the CIT Manager and the three senior network technician were sent on eight months’ administrative leave with all benefits.
Now let us look at the VC’s logic:
I. You sent home the three persons who did the right thing and reported items missing.
II. The VC paid four staff members over $8,000,000 for eight months for some useless batteries which were valued less than $40,000 as scrap metal.
III. The staff members who worked late for months and left the building after 12:00 in the nights were not sent home.
IV. The staff member who operated his business out of the CIT was overlooked.
V. The unions and the staff members who were sent home to date have not seen the police report which was given to the VC.
VI. These staff members were denied critical training and development offered by the university. (PBX, Web based technology, etc)
VII. The union executive was denied their annual appraisal for that year.
VIII. The VC at a town hall meeting on the Tain Campus announced that the union executive was involved in the theft at CIT.
IX. Refused to renew the manager’s contract unless he gave up the administration
the .gy domain operation, a process that is handled solely by ICANN.
In mid-2017 and at the end of 2017, brand new computers and a transformer valued millions went missing from Faculty of Technology and no police were called in, on one was sent home and no press release came from the public relations office.
Also, the former Director of maintenance submitted video footage of the staff member stealing and nothing happened, these staff members are still on the job.
In December 2017, all staff who were sent home were asked to return to work but were transferred out of the CIT. In a meeting with the three technicians, they were threatened, more specifically the union executive.
All their belongings including personal items are still in the room at the CIT. A new CIT manager was handpicked to head the CIT. The CIT Manager’s post was never advertised.
One year later, December 2018 and it’s back to the same way. UG has called a police Corporal from the Turkeyen police station by the name of Mr. Seeram reporting the same missing batteries. I am sure Mr. Seeram failed to ask why the University waited one year to report this matter. I am sure the UG failed to inform Mr. Seeram that CID did an investigation and found no wrongdoing. Mr. Seeram is now calling the former Manager and the three Network Technician, demanding that they go to Turkeyen police station without union representation.
On the 5th, December 2018, a complete Dell computer system, a projector with all peripheral attachments and a lecturer’s laptop worth over US$3000 were stolen from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and no one was arrested nor did you see any media flashes. This is a clear sign of discriminatory behaviour.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
