McDowell Paul is the new General Manager for the problem-plagued Dominica Public Works Corporation (PWC).
Deputy Chairman of the Public Works Management Corporation Ambassador Felix Gregoire made the announcement to state-owned DBS Radio on Tuesday 1st December 2015.
“I can confirm that on the recommendation of the board that the Honorable Minister for Public Works and Ports (Ian Pinard) has appointed Mr. McDowell Paul as the general manager of the Public Works Corporation effective 1st of December 2015,” he said.
According to him, the position was previously held by a senior engineer at the PWC Edward Labassiere and he was thanked for his services.
Gregoire informed that the Corporation is currently being restructured and the post of General Manager is necessery.
“We are now in the process of restructuring the Corporation and it was necessary to fill the vacancy of Manager and hence Mr. McDowell Paul, who has a very strong background in accounting and financial management, which is something that is required at the PWC at this point in time,” he explained. “So we wish him the best and although it is very challenging at the Corporation but we expect the board and the management team of the PWC along with the union to do everything necessary to remove the Corporation from that hole that it is.”
Gregoire said Paul is taking the job at a very difficult time.
“Well, basically it is going to be difficult for the Corporation given the debt that the corporation is facing,” he noted.
He pointed out that the PWC is owing “quite a bit of money” to the social security, Value Added Tax, as well as a number of contractors. He said that salaries and wages have not been paid for about three months now.
“To get out of that situation is going to be very difficult, so we will go step by step and we have to restructure the place and we expect the GM to run not creep and put plans in place, work plans so that the corporation can be viable and at this point in time, to be honest, nothing is happening at the corporation and the workers are not doing anything,” he said.
Gregoire noted that the government is working with the Ministry of Public Works to get some contracts awarded to the PWC “so that before Christmas the workers can be engaged.”
“So it is a very difficult period and the manager has just come on board so I don’t want to scare him, so we will just work with him and keep the public informed as to how we are proceeding but we need to address some of the problems we have especially payments to workers,” he noted.
The PWC have been faced with a number of problems recently, among them late salaries and the non-payment of Social Security contributions and benefits. Staff has also complained of the hazardous conditions which they say they are forced to work in daily. The organization has been hit with a number of protest action in recent times.
Normally when a company is facing bankruptcy and about to be shut down, a liquidator is brought in to properly terminate and close up the company’s operation. Liquidators are persons trained in the areas of finance and accounting. If the government had any intention to revive PWC they would have appointed a manager with a background in management as well as civil engineering. I suspect that new manager is there to further downsize PWC to the point where it is a small unit sub-contracting privately owned companies to do government work on behalf of PWC. THESE PRIVATELY OWNED COMPANIES AND OWNED BY DLP OFFICIALS AND OTHER PARTY HACKS. They are just trying to legitimize the corruption which is responsible for PWC being in the difficult financial situation currently experienced. PWC is now going to be the new tool to tranfer Government money into the hands of DLP officials and their friends. Felix G is right, PWC will now get all government contracts, but they will all be sub-contracted.
Why can’t the Ministry itself just pay me what they owe me? Everytime they give monies to Public Works to pay people who did road maintenance they take the money to pay their overheads. I have how many young boys that work with me during Ericka waiting for money . I have 5 children to feed. MINISTER PLEASE INTERVENE IF YOU LOVE US. PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!
Oh boy, Paul my dear we are good friends, but why that job? were you not comfortable at RCCU? to my opinion you were doing a good job, who ever coerced you into taking that job is not your friend my boy; the socalled ambassador run from it, because everyting he touches goes Kaboom!, now is poor you they throwing it on? anyway my boy you agreed to take up that mantel, do the best you can to bring back that corporation to what it once was, I wish you all the luck.
This Mal papaille government can throw Tom,Dick and Harry to manage this Public Works disaster corporation but unless this bunch of corrupt politicians stop being corrupt and selfish the corporation will remain on the same dead end . When ministers and friends of the Labor party must bite into the pie first Public Works continue to suffer.
Whose fault it is that a corporation owned and directed by the government continue to fail. If Lang Mama was collecting Social Security from employees and not paying the money into Social Security funds Lang Mama would be in shackles and sleeping on the concrete in Stock Farm. Food for thought
If not legitimized then it is implied that the government would provide the volume of work that is needed to keep the corporation operating. Is that happening? The answer is blowing in the wind.
If Lang Mama corporation was not paying it’s employees Lang Mama would be in violation of labor laws. Who is accountable at PWC?
hmmmm NCCU to Public Works….I wonder why this interesting move, Mr. Paul.
Mr. Paul, in all honesty, you have been given a basket to carry water!! I wish you well in this endeavour. On another note, ambassador Gregoire, can you explain to the public : what really happened to the workers deductions due to be sent to the Dominica Social Security? How on earth is it possible that these monies were taken from workers salaries and not paid to the DSS? Surely this against the law and those responsible have to suffer the consequence. Remember, there is a thin line, often overlooked in boardrooms, between destruction and development. I await your response.
HOTEP!
SOME OF THE comments here are so funny. But they hit the main points home
Is there not another reason for the failure of PWD .
Who are the owners of the companies who have been given the work normally being awarded to PWD by past governments?
The failure of PWD is simply that the jobs of that Govt corporation were hijacked by a systematic arrangement which has benefited special interest -who are they ?
Good luck to you in your new position, a challenging one indeed. Dominicans must place their confidence in you that, in time you could lift this type of situation which exists at PWC to a better scenario. It will take much thinking and planning and by cutting unnecessary expenditures.
Your assuming this position, I hope it will eventually be the end of non-payment of salary. This should never have occurred. I do not know how the staff could cope without income and for that duration. Actually, the first people who should get paid are staff who give of their time and diligently so. They need money for their livelihood which is why they work.
I wish you well and in sorting out this melee which PWC found itself in. Be confident that you can perform the job to the best of your ability and expertise.
God bless you in this endeavor and to be strong to face the challenges which you may encounter and to successfully rise above it all.
If Skerrit wants public works to function properly it will do so tomorrow. He is minister of finance therefore the buck stops with him. Skerrit is he’ll bent on destroying the public works corporation. No genral manager can make a difference without financial resources, No chance. Skerrit said putting morey in public works is lime throwing money down the drain. Dominicans sit down there saying ‘I like my pm’
Everything will work out just fine…Labour all the way!
is it not necessary to investigate who are the secret owners of the engineering and construction firms that have been awarded all the government contracts over the years replacing PWD and rendered the corporation of the government to become what it is today
The revealing information might be a seismic shock to the nation
well i currently work here an honestly i understood this problems is smaller than they make it seems .the pm stated tht putting money in public works is like throwing money in the drain, further more the site on which public work is right now is up 4 the chinese hotel! with no signs of relocating pwc! but thts nt all ..,……..management nd d board was d reason why pwc is currently in this hole……….same management different gm=same problem ………………mr paul sorry but i don’t think u can do this,will be glad if u do! nd don’t think i will be around if things start kicking off, fedup nd tht pwc ain’t doing any good 4 my future as a young person
I wish the gentleman well! But I hope that he is coming in with good intentions and not hidden agendas!! I hope this is not another case of cover-up coming our way. The gentleman should probably start with an audit of the company so that they can see where the money is being lost and plug those holes first!! He is going to have to find work for the employees but what better time than now, after a tropical storm like Erika? He should, if he has experience and good intentions, be able to find them enough work but the government must respond with willingness and determination to give them the work If the work goes well then they will get more and more work. The guys who were fired should also be rehired. These folks are ones with experience. God’s speed sir!! May it all work out in the end. One love!!!
Mr. Paul first thing first, an inquiary in the previous running of PWC. By the way who was the pass Minister of PWC , was he awear of those exsisting problems ? Just want to know.
God luck brother, do your work in good faith and justice for all. Then, you will reap the benefit.
It is bad management over the years that put PWC in that position
And did monies pass under the table????????? Just asking
There are so many stories that are not being told
Maybe good management skills are necessary
It may not happen one time but PWC can bounce back
Maybe a strong HR Officer will help
And a good/honest accounts clerk?
Just my 2cents
Happy to know congrats sir. however DNO we want to read about the gay rights Baroness is talking about cause we all know some ambassadors and public relation officers may vehemently oppose that
What about the Audit Department?
Go for it McDowell Paul, u can do it, Five practices that foster a culture of excellence: Work that inspires, models of excellence, a culture of critique, a norm of multiple revisions, and opportunities to make ones work public.
To Mr. McDowell Paul, first thing you do tomorrow is: go to see your doctor and have him or her prescribe some sleeping pills and pills to calm your nerves. You will need that to maintain your sanity.
There has to be another job out there that pays a decent salary without all the stress that comes with working for that company.
I once worked for a company that was struggling and I can tell you it is not easy. You have to pay salaries, buy supplies and you are constantly having to decide which bill gets paid. That is real stress.
This is your view but not a wise idea. Employees have worked and some are presently working under stressful conditions, especially in this technological era which decreased jobs and permanent ones. Most did not resort to drugs as sleeping pills and pills to calm their nerves. These are temporary solutions. Those who take them could become addicted to them. It is as some who drink a lot of coffee day and night. In the end, they will do no good. Some people may develop a shaky hand and head. They may end up with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease or some other ailment. Furthermore, they could become hypo and restless.
There are vitamin stress tablets, should he experience on the job stress. They are effective and do not leave a lasting ill effect on the health.
He should do his utmost to eat nutritiously and get as much rest and sleep as he possibly could. He should pray to God to help him cope. These are the pills, the medicine which everyone needs.
Well I wish you all the best Mc. Dowill. How on earth you going to do that I dunno. From major financial institutions to a cash trap corporation? You must be a magician!! All the best my friend
the public works in a country should be the back bone of the services if your public works is weak well the
public will receive very poor service we vote for men and women in the hope they will create job to the people is that right???
Enben Wey…that Mcdowell Paul ambitious eh. The officers havent been paid for three months, SS in arrears, VAT in arrears, Contractors are yet to be paid….so how is he going to get paid as GM? Run my boy dont creep. lol
Mr. Paul must be a masochist, that is the only logical conclusion.