No Political Interference: Frederick Denies Victimisation in NHC Redundancies

The minister overseeing the National Housing Corporation (NHC) has insisted that the dismissal of three workers earlier this month was not a case of victimisation but the result of restructuring within the state agency. Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Housing and Local Government, Richard Frederick, has maintained that the positions were made redundant, and the three women received payouts totalling over $520 000. The workers were notified on January 10 that their positions had been made redundant. The National Workers Union (NWU), which represents the employees, then wrote to the Labour Commissioner, alleging a lack of consultation on the matter. “The NWU was not engaged or consulted in this clear, calculated and deliberate act to disregard and violate the provisions of our Collective Agreement and the Labour Act Cap. 16.04. This kind of behaviour, if not addressed, is about to set a dangerous precedent in the industrial relations environment in the country,” wrote the NWU’s Secretary-General Johann Harewood in correspondence copied to Prime Minister Philip J Pierre and the International Labour Organisation. The opposition United Workers Party also accused Frederick of political interference and victimisation. However, during a pre-Cabinet media briefing on Monday, Frederick asserted...