TelEm employees to seek legal advice

May 09, 2012 10:30 AM

PHILIPSBURG - Employees who were denied "voluntary leave" by the TelEm Group of Companies reportedly are not taking the company's decision lightly and will seek legal advice on how to proceed.

The company announced over the weekend that "voluntary leave" had been granted to 15 personnel, while five had been denied the leave.

The TelEm Group's offer of "voluntary leave" is in keeping with its bid to "right-size" itself. The exercise is expected to entail some downsizing of staff, with those who opt to leave voluntarily being offered what are referred to in some countries as "voluntary separation packages."

Speaking on condition that they not be identified, two of the five persons denied voluntary leave told this newspaper they could not understand why TelEm would offer the option of voluntary leave and then deny them when they took the option.

They said they had been informed that possibilities existed in the much-talked-about new operating company of TelEm, but that this was no guarantee, as the company had not been set up as yet and its structure had not been not clearly defined. They were of the opinion that the company probably believed it would be more cost-effective to keep them on board rather than pay them out for years of service.

"Why would you want to keep someone who wants to go, after you offered the opportunity?" one employee asked, adding that it was discriminatory to allow some employees to leave the company and deny others.

St. Maarten Communications Union (SMCU) President Ludson Evers could not offer informed comment on Monday, only stating that he understood legal advice would be sought. He said he had not spoken to management as yet about the denied voluntary leave.

Attempts to obtain comments from TelEm management through the company's Public Relations arm proved unsuccessful on Monday.

(The Daily Herald)