Some staff members of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL), the publisher of the state-owned Guyana Chronicle, seem prepared to push back against the reinstatement of Sherod Duncan as General Manager as a petition to President David Granger has been drafted to secure his intervention in reviewing the decision.
According to the draft petition, seen by Stabroek News, staff members say Duncan’s brief tenure at the entity was marked by day-to-day interference in every department as well as fear on the part of staff members.
The document states that with Duncan’s return imminent, some staff members, who for years have worked above and beyond the call of duty, have decided that they will be resigning.
The petition calls for the president to review Duncan’s reappointment and “restore credible leadership” to the GNNL.
Several staff members were said to have reported “sick” yesterday, allegedly in protest of Duncan’s reinstatement.
Up to press time, neither Duncan nor his lawyer, James Bond, could be reached to respond to the accusations detailed in the document, which is highly critical of Duncan’s management style.
To make a case, it claims that Duncan demanded access to the company’s social media platforms as well as its website, took control of key accounts and handed their management to persons who appeared on the job without passing proper interviews as per procedure. In the process, those who had previously performed these duties were sidelined.
Additionally, it says he also reportedly took control of the Layout Department and handed the duties of the department’s staff, including the design of the newspaper’s front page, to a private company.
“Staff within other departments became fearful that their future at the GNNL was uncertain. Their fears peaked when Mr Duncan unilaterally fired Finance Controller, Mrs Moshamie Ramotar. Prior to firing Mrs Ramotar, he had succeeded in forcing then Managing Editor, Godfrey Wray to resign,” the document also states.
Further, according to the petition, the staff claim to have witnessed Duncan’s conduct regarding the financial affairs of the newspaper, which has come under scrutiny in the press.
“Ever since the Financial Controller was fired, a sense of fear remained in the corridors of the GNNL of Mr Duncan’s return to the helm of the company although she was later reinstated. That fear has since been reignited when staff members were told that the Duncan would be returning,” the draft petition further notes.
Though it is not clear just how many staff members are prepared to sign the petition, Stabroek News understands that staff in at five departments—accounts, layout, circulation, editorial and advertising—have expressed a willingness to do so.
‘Deal’
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday labelled the decision to reinstate Duncan as “unethical.”
“It is transparent that the only reason he was reinstated is because he was appointed the chairman of the Georgetown district of the AFC. [Prime Minister Moses] Nagamootoo opportunistically wants the support of the delegates, so he reinstates him. It seems as though a cozy deal was stuck. You give me back my job and I’ll deliver the delegates to you at the congress. It is unethical and shows the true nature of the AFC. They will trade away all the so-called principle just for their own internal purposes,” he told a press conference at his office yesterday.
On Tuesday, Nagamootoo directed that the GNNL Board rescind its decision to fire Duncan because of “procedural breaches.”
In doing so, he accused Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Chairperson of the Board, of unilaterally deciding to terminate Duncan’s services and misleading his office by claiming it was a decision of the board.
Further, in directing the reversal of the decision, Nagamootoo said he could not rely on Chandan-Edmond’s advice that the sacking of Duncan accorded with due process and procedural fairness.
In response Chandan-Edmond, a former magistrate, tendered her resignation and maintained her position that a vote had been taken.
“When I accepted the position of Chair of the Board of Directors of Guyana National Newspapers Limited, it was with the understanding that my professionalism and integrity would not be unfairly assailed. I find that your letter not only calls into question my professionalism but the professionalism of fellow members of the Board of GNNL. In light of this, I hereby submit my resignation as Chairman of the Board of Directors, with immediate effect, since I believe I cannot continue to act at the level of ethics that you clearly require of the position,” she wrote in a response to Nagamootoo’s letter.
Parliamentarian Mervyn Williams, who supported Duncan’s firing, also tendered his resignation.
Duncan’s services were terminated with immediate effect in April following a meeting at which Chandan-Edmond cast the deciding vote.
Duncan’s lawyer, Bond, later told Stabroek News that an appeal would be filed with the Office of the Prime Minister. He claimed that there were at least three grounds for appeal, chief among them being that “there was no formal vote” by the board.
At least two members of the seven-member Board agreed with Bond’s position that a vote was never done.
Directors Juretha Fernandes and Beverly Alert, both of the Alliance for Change (AFC) where Duncan holds a senior post, indicated that at no point during the meeting was a motion for a vote put before the Board.
