Cabinet Secretary Felix Gregoire said incumbent Government Press Secretary Sean Douglas failed to renew his contract.
Douglas was informed of his dismissal in a letter on July 12 signed by Gregoire, stating that the decision comes as he refused to sign a one-year contract for the period January 26, 2009 to January 26, 2010.
“We’re now in July 2010 … why are you offering a contract where time has passed? Lawyers would say consideration has passed even if I had signed it all now so I would have to sign another contract,” Douglas told Dominica News Online on Monday in a brief telephone interview.
But Gregoire said Douglas left the position when he did not sign a new contract.
“Douglas had a signed contract which expired on January 25th 2009. Prior to that -October 2nd, 2008 -Douglas wrote expressing interest to continue employment with the Government of Dominica. Based on that, Cabinet approved his terms of employment and a new contract was prepared for him to cover the period January 26 2009 to January 25, 2010. Douglas never signed that contract and continued to work as government press secretary under the same terms and conditions as approved by Cabinet,” he said.
He said Douglas was given a letter to sign the contract no later than June 30, 2010 and he still refused.
In essence, Douglas was not really fired by Government, Gregoire reasoned.
“In estimation, Mr. Douglas fired the job by not signing the agreement which was prepared on his behalf,” the Cabinet secretary noted.
Gregoire said Douglas also had an issue with his salary, adding “His problem was his salary. He wanted an increase in his salary, an increase was approved but not in the quantum that he wanted it.”
The termination is effective August 13, 2010. Douglas has been employed in that position for nine years. He took up his role after the death of his late uncle, former Prime Minister Roosevelt Douglas .
A source close to the situation, who wished to remain anonymous told Dominica News Online that Douglas has experienced difficulties in executing his role since Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit has been prime minister.
“He has not had it easy going …. many people with close association with the prime minister have openly expressed their dislike for him and has effectively created a barrier between the prime minister and his press secretary,” that person claimed.
“One would have thought that the press secretary would be the one to inform the media of all government press conferences and to also be in close contact with the prime minister and travel along with him, but Sean was not afforded that opportunity. He has been effectively snubbed, and mistreated, they have done a grave injustice to the young man,” the source explained.
The situation seems to have reached a boiling point when Douglas sought advice from his lawyers about his work conditions since he has not received an increase in pay for the past nine years and has been has been working without a contract for over one year.
According to the source, Douglas received the letter following an issue with a raise in his salary.
“What I can say to you is that, he sought advice from his lawyer who wrote to the government about the concerns and as a result he received a letter during the budget presentation from Cabinet Secretary giving him one month notice and ending his services effective August 13th, 2010.”
Douglas was convinced that his failure to sign the contract was not the reason for his dismissal.
This is one of the reasons why so may educated people will not return to their homeland to work. There is too much injustice, preferential treatment going on in our society. Regardless of his last name – No raise for 9yrs? and which press Secreatary does not ” inform the media of all government press conferences and not be in close contact with the prime minister and travel along with him” This defeat the purpose of the Press Secretary.
The young man is brave enough to speak up for what he is worth, and not many out there especially women do that. Our graduation ceremonies etc are always dominated with messages to be the best you can be and not to settle for less, so why don’t we practice what we preach.
@It was just a matter of time: What is wrong with these half illiterate uwp? I can see why Hector John is with you guys
Hey time to weed out those lazy people eating government money under false pretence…
@YES</writer you have said it, but how does these men sleep at nights and how do they explain their lack of professional skills Gregoire we are not fools there are much more to this story and I hope one day Mr.Douglas will tell us exactly what happened.
how would you feel GREGOIRE if you never had a decent salary increase in nine years, the young man worked for almost a year without a contract and now you asking him to sign it now how rediculous it is. I more believe anyone that stands up to this administration they get rid of them but they didnt for see the backlash from the public would be against them
Mr Douglas your future is wide open you have youth on your side dont allow these guys to stop you.with lis.
Dos Esquis Dos is two Esquis ought to be translated as face. You have confessed you are two faced. Bravo.I know you were a hypo.Is it something you did ,took that had you supporting a backward regime? I know too you might haver gone blue in 95 then change your mind.
Be intransigent Dos Caras.Is beings like you who have DA as it is.You support th party during it’s ills now when the ball game looks ike it’s gonna change you pull for the underdog.
Opportunist Dos caras.I hope you are not emplyed by Gov’t cause they do a Sean or a Gloria on you when they figure out what & who you are. on you.Saqway hipo.
I am suprised that R B D children let all his hard work fall apart while they allow skeritt and the pit bull from tar-tan to kick them around? Remember he had Ian as A G then took that from him. I live out of D A and was surprise to see Hampstead estate and the building in portsmouth where he had his business movie house and all in a delapated state .I remember Mrs Douglas coming out with her husband’s lunch waiting to find some truck going up so he could have his meal .That has all gone to waste while the second and third generations are being kicked around
R BD must be turning in his grave
All this adds to inept and incompetent government..So many people inthis failed govt system are not doing their work..Guess these are the cronies who are sucking the country to the bone..Shawn you have nothing to lose by speaking out..We know this is the dirtiest govt closet even since Dominica was discovered.START THE BALL ROLLING SON..!!
they have somebody else lines up for that job already…and that person is me. Stay tuned, D.a.
I’m a teacher and the same thing that was done to Sean is happening to me every September.
Three years ago I was transferred -i didn’t request the transfer- closer to my village and I received the transfer letter in December asking me to report to my new institution of September that same year – In December!!!!!!!!!!
Thank God the EO met a friend of mine shopping the Saturday before school re-opened and passed on the news.
As for salary, qualified or not them people not raising teacher’s salary and they still payin us late. Sometimes the next month does take without you get paid because Establishment doe get your letter from public service commission because the EO and dem doe send it.
Sean I feel your pain – I too am a devout Labourite!
@Jm2: i would like to know how much he wanted for the raise that’s what i want to know ………………… he was working without a contract y didn’t he sign it ……………if things was so bad for he y did he stay there so long there is more than what meet the ear ………..wait and see
@victimized: Government press secretary is a political appointment. Much like government advisers. He or she is directly employed by cabinet under contract. The Public Service Commission has nothing to do with that.
Unlike what you may think he is not supposed to think independently. His job is to communicate to the public on behalf of the administration. So at all times he MUST be in tune with the administration. That’s just the nature of his job.
Do not confuse it with the head of GIS who is a public servant.
PATAT I APPLAUD YOU. SEAN SHOULD TAKE EVERYTHING YOU SAY AND PONDER ON IT. YOUR WORDS ARE WITHOUT BIAS AND VERY IMFORMATIVE. I DO HOPE I GET ADVICE LIKE THAT WHEN I AM IN DIFFICULTY.
NOW IT IS TIME FOR US TO SIT BACK AND SEE HOW SEAN PROGRESSES WITH HIS LIFE. I CANNOT REMEMBER HIM IN ANY OTHER JOB SO LETS SEE IF HE WILL MOVE HIMSELF AND CONTINUE WITH HIS LIFE, NUFF SAID.
Patat you should keep your sentimental expression for your personal interaction with Sean. What it seem like to me is that you are simply begging Sean to not disclose information that may be harmful to your party and Prime Minister. I’m sure that Sean knows what he needs to do but we also know that political jobs are like the desert rain.Sean is fully aware of that too.
What we see in this entire event is the ineffectiveness of the Skerrit administration, chaos within and an output of Fiasco, lies deceit,from the government and most off all a government stained by corruption and one that should not be trusted.
@LionPaw: great post…..I really like your post!!!
@Dominican in the BVI: Who is the chairman of the Public Service Commission? It has a role to play in that. Anybody with an independent mind in Dominicaare and will be victimized by rthat DLP GOVT. Blows on them.
Sean my friend, in life there is always obstacles on the road but doh never give up.
I have read all the comments about day fire you, you fire yourself and all that happy you get fired and all that was said in d meeting last night.
Your work was not at all in vain. You have matured over the years and have grown in historical importance in Dominica. You even have calypso about your travels. It has plenty people that want to be like you but will not express it like u did. We all learn from our mistakes. All now so UWP still learning from their mistakes.
But Sean, the true test of a young man character is not wallowing in his downfall and disappointments. It is his ability to bounce back and discover fresh opportunities and hidden talents and potential within himself and take himself to another level that no one thought could have been possible.
Be magnanimous in defeat. Be gracious and humble in the path laid before you at this moment and face the future with optimism, strength , determination and a sense of purpose.
Take solace in the fact that you are still young.
Starts filling out applications for acceptance to do that law degree you have wanted to do for so dam long.
See this as the opportunity to become a qualified lawyer and have your own professional practice.
By the end of this five year term of this administration you might just be one of the lawyers defending Skerrit, short neck in court when the government could change or USA ask for their extraditions!!!
On the other hand do not leave the crazy man cheap. HE has to meet his waterloo. I only hope is not laundering that will be his fall. Alas!!!
Doh make no opposition party you prostitute your integrity.
Amen.
I don’t see the big deal here. The government spokesman is just that. His job is to disseminate information on the programs, policies and activities of government. He defends the government when under fire. At at the end of the day his job is to make the government look good. He is the mouth piece of government. Much in the vain of the White House spokesman in the US.
He is NOT a public servant appointed through the Public Service Commission. He is employed under contract from cabinet. In other words he operates under the blessings of the Prime Minister and cabinet. So at anytime if the Prime Minister feels to get rid of him so be it…that’s their call. His job is to serve them. So why should I care…unless I’m a Labourite or a Douglas.
I guess for the rest of us what is intriguing is the possible political soap opera behind the dismissal. Is Sean going to show up on Q95 and unload some dirty laundry? Does his departure signify deeper divisions within the administration? Yes you know it’s true. That’s what we are all salivating for. Otherwise we should care less about Roosevelt Skerrit dismissing his spokesman.
It can’t be considered a dismal or firing if their is no contract signed. If there is no contact offered, then the employer is at fault. If the employee failed to sign the contract at his own discretion, then he completely responsible for his lack of employment, and should not even have received compensation for his last year or work.
While an employee is free not to sign a contract due to disagreement, for example in pay rate, said employee cannot then claim to be fired.
in this day and age when everyone is looking for security of tenure of office …. this seems odd … asking one to sign a contract for a period that would be expired … seems to if he had signed he would have been axed anyways … and is not one month notice normally given on either side re renewal or termination?
Interesting! Very interesting!!
hhhhmmm…
Soooo? Which one is it? Retaliation? Constructive discharge? Political back biting?
Working for nine years without a raise?
Boy!!! It appears that they made work very intolerable for this man. How could he have done his job in such an inhospitable environment?
The PM is frustrated about his incapability of leading the country.He is therefore passing on his vendetta on true and genuine labourites.. Crisping gone,Shawn gone,Gloria gone,WHO IS NEXT?
Oh boy! How do we get to put our foot in our mouth. Mr. Gregoire, I think you are a very intelligent man so please do not make silly statements. The cabinet is WRONG to allow a man to work for over a year without the proper documentation. I would not sign a retroactive / back dated contract. NO!! You need to pick up yourself from the past mistake and move on. This shows how much incompetence exists in the operations of the government headquarters. How could a man who is a contractual employee, work for an entire year without a contract? If he is a contractual worker, the first thing that has to be done is to get the contract signed. The error is not on Sean Sean part, it is on yours.
Then to try to rectify your mistake, you want him to sign something of the past. Bullsh*t!!! You know full well that you are punishing him for going to his lawyer. It is well within his rights to go to his lawyer. I am sure you have received your pay increase over the past nine years. Why can’t he be eligible also? Shy can’t he complain if he is not satisfied? Why can’t he ask for more if he justly deserves it? Then again Sean, if you sleep with dogs, you will get fleas. It is quite apparent that the labour party the Douglas family knew no longer exists. Good Luck!!
Once again both the PM and the one fronting for him,are taking us for fools.People who are incapable from extrapolating facts from fiction.One thing i can’t understand about the PM moose boys is even when the PM is dead wrong on a matter they are the ones fabricating all kinds of rubbish to show him in good light..Up to last year Dominica gave Antigua and Anguilla millions of dollars (according to the PM),so why the man’s salary increase was not at least considered.I am not surprised about the constant snubbing of Shawn by the PM either..The hubris syndrome PM..All this is for a time..The party you lead is not a labour party,and Labourites must put that in your face..You can’t boot out labourites from their own party,when you could even be leading us when you are a French citizen…SATAN WAS ARROGANT AND HE FELL….THINK OF THAT AND ASK YOURSELF A QUESTION…..
drama, drama and more drama this could have been dealt with internally and nothing is private indominica especially at government headquaters someone is always anonymous and reporting to the press which we are sometimes happy to know and other times would rather not know. I used to work at government headquaters and letters coming down telling you about your employment are usually late and way past the date it is supposed to be. How could someone work for one year with no contract and then one suddenly has to be signed for a period long ended six months ago. that is straight bs and not professional at all. I wouldnt sign that contract at all unless a present one was on the table as well with pay increase too. That is how people who are supposed to be educated and knowledgeable about the law condunct government affairs.. I guess Mr. Douglas was only kept out of respect for the family and now its time to go.
so why did’nt you sighn the contract.it sound like its much more to that matter. all the best to you Mr. Douglas. you will get something else to do.
Seems the Labour Party is slowly digging its own grave!!!! Lets see wat happens next;;;;;