BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MANAGEMENT of Clear Harbour, a call center situated within proximity of the RLB International Airport, unceremoniously closed their doors to business at approximately 3:00 p.m. yesterday (Mar. 30) without prior notice to some 131 employees.
On arrival at the location at about 3:20 p.m., SKNVibes had observed a number of sad-face employees standing at the entrance to the building that housed the company.
In an attempt to speak to senior management concerning the situation, this publication, on approaching the entrance, was informed by the company’s security that no member of the press was allowed entry to the compound.
Shortly after, however, Minister of Labour Hon. Sam Condor arrived on the scene and was subsequently followed by a group of armed members of the security forces and the Federation’s Labour Commissioner, Spencer Amory.
After several minutes waiting for a comment on what transpired, screams and loud shouting were heard coming from inside the building, reportedly made by the unemployed workers while expressing their feelings on the issue.
Moments later, one middle management employee emerged from within the secured compound and explained the situation to this media house.
“It is total chaos inside and I can understand why. In 2009, the year of the company’s inception, we were promised that one of the things that separated them (Clear Harbor) from other call centers, is that they were going to be here for a long period of time and they were not going to close like the others that were here before on short notice. Evidently, that is not the case, because today we were given notice at 3:00 p.m. that the company will be shutting down today.
“This is a clear form of mistrust because I’ve lost my job on short notice and I feel it even more for others who have migrated here from other islands such as Dominica, who are now unemployed,” the former middle management worker said.
According to the individual, “It happened all so sudden that it was a shock to the 131 employees.”
“At 3:00 p.m. exact, the calls stopped coming in and all systems were closed off, and that was when we were informed that we would be out of a job. There was no apology…no sensitivity by the management staff towards us. We were only told to collect our pay-slip and that was it,” the former employee added.
It was also revealed by the former employee that it was rumoured that the call center was going to close its doors, but “not in this disrespectful manner were we expected to be informed”.
Meanwhile, in his statement to the media, Minister Condor said he was called about the situation and went the location to further investigate.
“I was called when I was home having lunch and was told that Clear Harbor was closing down. It was also revealed to me that some persons (management) went to the factory to shut down the company and the workers were very upset. I immediately called the Labour Commissioner and I was told the some officials were there from the Labour Department having a meeting with them. I immediately drove to the Labour Department and, in conversation with an official, I was informed that the company was closing down and I explained that is not how we do business here,” Condor said.
The Minister noted that his next move was to visit the location where he held discussions with the workers, whom he said “were very upset”.
“They told me that they wanted an assurance that they would be treated fairly. We can’t reverse that decision that was taken today, but we want to make sure that going forward that the workers would be adequately compensated, the Minister said.
Following the departure of the Minister, two officials from the Social Security Board arrived and quickly behind them was the Labour Commissioner.
When questioned about the reasons for his presence at the location, Amory explained that he was there to meet with the workers and management. He however noted that further information would be provided on the matter on completion of the meeting.
Clear Harbor has been providing customer care and business process outsourcing (BPO) services since 2004 through its operations centers in the Eastern Caribbean.
With facilities in Dominica, Grenada and St. Kitts, the company had over 1000 employees with its headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia.
In 2009, the call center brought its operations to the shores of St. Kitts and the company was ranked number 53 on Inc magazine’s 2009 list of the fastest-growing privately-held companies.
BELOW IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE GOV’T OF ST. KITTS AND NEVIS
Labour Minister Condor denounces “callous, unprofessional and disrespectful” Clear Harbor immediate termination of 131 employees
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, MARCH 31ST 2011 (CUOPM) – St. Kitts and Nevis’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour, Hon. Sam Condor has denounced as “callous, unprofessional and disrespectful” the termination of 131 employees by Clear Harbour (Nevis) Ltd on Wednesday afternoon.
“The action of Clear Harbour (Nevis) Ltd, to close its operations in minutes constitutes a clear breach of Section 7- Notice of Termination of Employment (3) of the Protection of Employment Act and subsidiary legislation as contained in Chapter 18:27,” Deputy Prime Minister Condor told the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly Thursday morning.
Clear Harbour Nevis Ltd is the executing agency for Comcast, an Internet Cable Provider based in the USA. The Company manages outbound calls for Billing and Services and is known locally as a Call Centre. The Company originally was established and operated in the Nevis in 2005 and migrated to St. Kitts in 2009, setting up operations in the Allen Stanford Building, just outside the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport.
Minister Condor told parliament and the nation that no warning was given.
“Indeed, the Clear Harbour officials had scheduled a meeting with the Department of Labour for precisely that same time. At 3:15 pm Clear Harbour Officials reported to the Department of Labour to “break” what was termed the “bad news” and tendered a letter to the Labour Commissioner (received at 3:37pm) which addressed the matter of the closure.
He read Section three of the Protection of Employment Act which states: “Where an employer contemplates laying off or terminating the employment of ten or more employees (whichever is the less). On any of the grounds specified under section 5 (1) (E) at the same time the Employer shall , no less than one month before any proposed layoff or termination, notify the Labour Commissioner in writing of :- (a) The reasons for the layoff or termination.
(b)The number and categories of employees affected; (c) The period over which the terminations are intended to be carried out and (d) a summary of the results of any consultations with any Trade Union representing the employees.”
The Labour Minister told Parliament: “The record shows that Clear Harbour did not adhere to this legal obligation, indeed may not have had any intention of doing so.”
“However I must record that the Protection of Employment Act and its Subsidiary Legislations prescribe penalties for breaches against the Act,” said Minister Condor, adding:
He said that as Minister with responsibility for Labour, he made a personal intervention at the meeting held with the Labour Commissioner and at the Clear Harbour compound on the Airport Road.
The meeting was held with Messrs. Carl S O’Neal Jr.; Warren Smay; Greg Payne, Legal Service provider for Clear Harbour, Vice President, Information and Technology, Administrative Assistant respectively, and Officials of the Social Security Board. A meeting was also held with the affected employees and the Labour Commissioner, Mr. Carl O’Neal and Warren Smay.
“At the conclusion of the meeting it was agreed that Clear Habour must pay all due payments in Lieu of Notice as per Law; Clear Harbour must pay all due payment of Holiday Pay as per Law; Clear Harbour must ensure that all outstanding monies due for the deduction of statutory taxes be paid into the Social Security Board; Clear Harbour must ensure that all outstanding monies due for its usage of public utilities ( electricity and water) are paid to relevant authorities; Clear Harbour must provide to the Department of Labour the information required by Law under Section 7 (3) by today March 31st 2011 and such information, as determined by the Department of Labour and the Social Security Board which is germane to the matter at hand and Clear Harbour must review the calculations of the monies due to the employees i.e. – Notice Pay, Holiday Pay, Commission Fees,” the Deputy Prime Minister informed the National Assembly.
“I wish to go on record on behalf on the Government, the Citizens of this Country and in defense of our industrial relations history and integrity to denounce the callous, unprofessional and disrespectful action of the Clear Harbour (Nevis) Ltd. which violates every principle and percept of common decency, justice and respect for Law and accepted moral norms. I wish to note that St. Kitts is renowned for its industrial stability and hospitality to all investor partners and the tradition of industrial decorum and integrity entity is a hallmark of our industrial relations climate,” said Depury Prime Minister and Minister of Labour.
He gave the assurance that every effort, every relevant institution would be deployed on this matter to address this must unwelcomed event in the interest of the employees and the Federation’s industrial relations integrity.
“I further wish to note that every legal option would be also explored in an effort to ensure that this matter is justly dealt with,” said Minister Condor.
Its sad to read the comments from the unemployed, non educated persons who wish bad on Clear Harbor..i bet you all applied and did not meet the requirements…don’t be mad you can always try again after three months..no need to wish bad on the persons who are employed there…
alright guys. the company this the wrong way yes..it looks bad..and some of us in d/a do feel sorry but he.people hav to understand the fact tht companies open for a reason..to make a profit and generate income to both parties.how terms and conditions apply.u hav standards and requirements to meet.if you can’t live up to tht what happens….business makes a loss..now who would continue to run a business if they r makin a loss…thts what happend..you work hard to achieve the things you want …st kitts CH workers if you guys had put a lot more effort in your work this would not hav happend nt tht most of you were not.1 spoilt mango can spoil a basket of mangoes if you don’t remove tht mango it puts the others at risk of spoiling to…..sorry for the way tht d company pulled out it was not right..but heyyy when it comes to money americans don’t play….with tht being said hope the 100 plss unemployed wrkers still make their dough at the nd of the day ……however those who r wishing it on D/ca ohh please stop.let this be a lesson to everyone….take work seriously ..and nothing like this will not happen not only for CH but for people working in other businesses as well..
i was feeling sorry for those people but on hearing what was done to the Dominicans that worked there…. i feel nothing for them. they got what they deserved. These are ignorant and violent people.
Justice Thomas grants injunction against Clear Harbour
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, APRIL 4TH 2011 (CUOPM) – High Court Judge His Lordship Mr. Justice Errol Thomas has granted an Injunction against a US-based internet cable company following its dismissal without warning of 131 workers last week.
Clear Harbour (Nevis) Ltd and several persons and financial institutions have been restrained from disposing, transferring, charging, dissipating, or diminishing or in any way howsoever dealing with any assets held in the names of the persons named in the Injunction.
An affidavit filed by Labour Commissioner Mr. Spencer Amory claims that Clear Harbor Nevis Limited closed its operations terminating the employment of all its employees.
“Since the sudden closure on 30th March 2011, I have had several meetings with the employees of Clear Harbour and representatives of Clear Harbor; I have had discussions with several employees of Clear Harbor and have been informed and verily believe the same to be true that they, along with other employees, are owed payments for several benefits, including wages, holiday pay, payment in lieu of notice among others,” said Mr. Amory.
He said that he has been informed by the Social Security Board and verily believe the same to be true that on or around the 31st March 2011, Clear Harbor Nevis Limited paid some monies to satisfy its various obligations for Social Security and Employment benefits and that since the said payments there is still an outstanding balance of EC$2,192.15 for Severance Payments and EC$12,742.44 for Housing Levy.
“I am also informed by the Electricity Department of St. Kitts and verily believe the same to be true that Clear Harbor owes the amount of EC $344,175.20 for electricity and EC$15,876.80 for water for the period November 2009 to March 2011,” said the Labour Commisioner.
He also claims that Clear Harbor owes taxes to the Inland Revenue Department under the Income Tax Act.
Mr. Amory claims that at a meeting with officers from the Social Security Board with Messrs. Carlo Neil and Greg Payne, Attorney and Finance Manager for Clear Harbor respectively, both declined to give an undertaking that Clear Harbor will meet its financial obligations prior to leaving the Federation.
“In light of the foregoing, it is my belief that, unless restrained, the 1st to 12th Respondents/Intended Defendants would dispose and/ or transfer and/ or charge and/ or dissipate and/ or diminish their assets without satisfying their financial obligations to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour, Hon. Sam Condor last week described the move by Clear Harbour (Nevis) Ltd to terminate the jobs of the employees as “callous, unprofessional and disrespectful” and closure its operations in minutes constitutes a clear breach” of the Protection of Employment Act and subsidiary legislation,” Condor told the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly.
He said then that “every legal option would be also explored in an effort to ensure that this matter is justly dealt with.”
It is way too expensive to conduct business in the caribbean whereas in other jurisdictions there are tax breaks, cheaper wages, better company-gov relations etc
E crimes on the way with all those un employed computer technicians
You folks who have never left the Caribbean have no idea of how business works. It is not a charity.
You can track when CH staff gets paid, so many staff members do not turn up for work next day. how many of you understand how this business works.The company that CH takes calls for has calculated the number of agents it needs manning the phones at any given time. When those agents decide not to come to work because they were partying the nite before it does not take an Einstein to realise the impact this has.
As a young man abroad I used to go partying till 7 am and go home shower and go to work. If you cannot get up for work then keep your backside at home. Look at last week at the Cove, lots of these workers stayed till the end at 7 am, they did not make it for work in time next day some did not show up at all Do you think those people in the USA care about our Sewo and why shoud they. Those agents in Dominica better look out, St Lucia . lobbying the company to open up there, where is so much unemployment . These Internet babies not ready. Ask your grandparents about work ethics.
I use to see my grandfather carry 2 bunches of fig to sell at the weighing station only to be told reject!!!!!!! Workers manage your shit
Well said sir. They have not yet understood job ethics. And to add to their foolishness they think they are doing a favor. They need the pay and they pretend like they can do better. Sometimes you have to feel sorry for them.
please… the 2 of u need to go work down there and see how it is.. I think they treat workers like cr*p in there.. u work ure butt off only to be timed and monitored anytime u make a move.. even to pee. They need to stop treating our workers like slaves and our workers will give their heart and sould for the company
That is the nature of the Call Centre business. I agree that it is onerous but so is being at home with 3 kids to feed, no job and no food. U think it was fun farming to feed your family? our forefathers did it and survived. U have to learn to kiss ass until u can kick it
Most young people have this party mentality, not finishing their studies so that they can get a better position. I do know what i am talking about as i have been there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the real talk here should be, in the event that the same thing happens to Dominica Clear Harbo,r will the Government and the Roosevelt Skerrit lead administration take a stand for their people, the same way that the St.Kitts Government has stood up for theirs.
We Dominicans posses a habit of gossiping without fact and need to learn the value of educating ourselves on topics of interest first before we give “our tongues chain” so to speak.
St.Kitts was definitely treated unfairly in this matter and the CH workers here in Dominica did see and recognized it for what it was. An unjust reward for being driving like slaves to a whip.
No amount of pay can ever give you back your eyes, your tonsils,your back after countless hours of speaking non-stop. Yes we did sign up for the job and knew what to expect however the strict rules put in places to control even our bladders is disrespectful.
Mr. Prime Minister give an ear. Do not allow quote and quote BPO companies to mishandle your people in anyway because at the end of the day not only do we pay the taxes but we are a vote and a voice that you need.
U sign up for the job and u want the gov to change their rules? Lol why don’t u bring the matter to the boss if u can’t handle it then bounce!! Or are they preventing u from leaving? Lol u knew what u was getting into
What govt? What prime minister? He first need to go and check himself before he try to check anybody else. Encourage work ethics. You sign up for the job and want to come and do nothing. No one would prevent anyone from going to the bathroom. You all like to get paid and dont like to work. Then you know what quit and go to the Red clinc every wednesday.
preach it preach it, finally someone thinks like me. clear harbor is not government head quarters, when it 8:15am now workers coming in, and getting paid for the entire day even if they leave at 3:30pm. if you do this at clear harbor, you will get paid from 8:15am-3:30pm and if you do this more that 3 times in the month then you will get a letter in your file.
some of all you like to do what all you want. but remember all non sense will stop. you can do the work you willl be sent home. simple as that. no more spoon feeding. also if clear harbor D/ca closes then that is 700 plus not paying taxes and less money for the red clinic.
what can Mr. prime minister do? nothing? so long we begging for him to allow the company to pay us more money and he not answering. plz note the call center in St.kitts only went there due to Dominica not being ready or able to hire 130 persons and train 130 persons at one time. Dominica has 3 sites now. understand if we at CH D/ca was not doing our jobs why would we have 2 new hire training per month? we like people to be on our backs but went it come down to the final straw we pull ourselves out.
Dominicans if you have never work at CH plz don’t talk non sense. be wise!!!
come on ppl if you take your job serious there is no way d/ca will close.. asking ppl to be at work and they are not showing up there is no way you can force someone to show up to work if they dont want to.. months after months they have been asking the agents to come to work on their schedule days and they are not showing up.. why when they heard the center close they run down to the center and was unable to make it to work? why would you give a call center employees notice that the center is going to close and the day before the employess will go wild on the customers cursing them getting on with the customer and clear harbor will be the one paying for that cause the main company will think of closing all clear harbor in the caribbean.. so tell me ppl if that making sense to you what the ppl saying….
Call center jobs are tuff in other country things like this happens when ppl curse out tge callers.
I work at CH and we meet our targets and we provide damn good customer service. What was st kitts doin? Ok understand we don’t work for locals we have requirements to meet and if it is not met CH will be fined. Why keep paying you and you making me lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. The way it was done was WRONG but it is better that 131 was sarcrifice that the 700 plus in DA and the 300 in grenada. CH does not tolarate non sense So yes we may have bad attitudeS on the road but within these walls of CH Dominicaa all you hear with pleasant and enthusiactic voices ‘ thank you for calling comcast’. We make our sales and meet our targets. RESPECT CH DOMINICA!!!!
Oh… so that’s why when I called comcast, the voice sounded familiar
the voice sounds familiar because it is possible that your brother or sister or cousin that answering the phone in CH Dominica, the job is tough don’t get me wrong but it is not for everyone.
Get used to the idea that’s how American companies operate. They normally don’t give advance warning for fear of their company being sabotaged. I know from experience because I’ve witnessed employees of a Fortune 500 company being led out by security guards while I sat at my desk shaking in my pants, wondering if I would be next. Hundreds of employees were laid off in one day with no prior warning. We all just need to be thankful for our job while we have one.
I have been employed with Clear Harbor D/ca for 4 yrs and 4 months now. The job is not as bad as people assume. Let me say that all jobs have frustrating days and bright days. Yes it is sad what happened to St Kitts, however they have been warned of their weak points for months now and they fail to improve. I thought it was a fair days work for a fair days pay. If they were not performing what is the point of paying them fortnightly?
We in D/ca have our areas that we need to improve on as well, and I really hope that we learn from St. Kitts mistakes so the same thing won’t happen to us. If clear harbor D/ca closes over 700 people will be out of a job. Just imagine what that will do to our economy.
I do hope that we Dominicans learn from this and Clear Harbor will keep investing in our country. Again a very sad time for the people of St. Kitts but honestly they have no ones to blame but themselves.
do the peopl who are talking about clear harbor know anything about it? do you even understand the ethics of business? do you know why they pulled thier business from st kitts and not domininca? why st. kitts and not the other islands? simple if you are running a business and the cost of operation is much more than the profit, or the level of service that is being provided to the customers at a call center or what ever company is unsatisfactory and bringing only loss to the organisation then all we have to blame is the individuals who are given the oportunity to carry out the functions within the branch of service (st kitts clear harbor, namely the cust reps) who failed their duties therein. Ergo, though it may be a sad story that they are unemployed, those who are not for the off shore company need to keep in mind that its not the with drawal of the company we should focus on, but the stability of it-which by the way is in the hands of the employees- that we must maintain. where you an employee of the st kitts branch? if you were and you understood the reason for the withdrawal then your input in this matter is treasured. however i dont think we should speak on something ww no nothing about. Not to mention, here in this country we have close to 700 people employed at this company, including fathers, friends, causins, brothers, sisters, mothers, etc. So before you “bun faya pon dem” think about the implications that exist if these workers are made jobless! vi-sa-vi, we should encourage the ones who are working her to do thier best to keep the client and their jobs available to them. oh and by the way, the tax exemtion takes longer than just one year or two years before it runs its course. it usually lasts up to ten years or so. so do a little research about that first before you say anything on it.
WRONG IS WRONG. The employees should be given sufficient notice period!!!
i would sue them thats bad,they think is animals that in a pig pen they dealing with,i would punish them and the government of st.kitts should see that the workers get what they deserve this is shamfull and it makes stikitts look bad
They will soon move to india.
imdia
you may be right, it could well mean that they are moving to a country with cheaper labor! Cutting cost is to their benefit regardless of how everybody else feels especially the employees.
d PM say dominica have so much growth more than other countries
sooooooooooooooooooooo
I doubt it, u guys has a river for every year, and still can’t put your natural resources to commercial use, can’t turn dead capital to live capital, take a back seat and come again…
well. It could be Dominica next. they may be right. When supervisors talk on phone endless like they working and they are not, what do you expect. I believe some were fired recently for this offense. So the attitude of the workers must change. People in business to make profit. They will not sit idly by whilst you in violation of the rules. These companies have bills to pay to to satisfy their shareholders who put their hard earned savings in these copanies
TRUST ME IT WILL HAPPEN IN DA NEXT THESE OFFSHORE COMPANIES HAS A HABIT TO DO THOSE THINGS OKC CDS ADS ALL THE SAME
The Dominican employees who bash their caribbean islands should be ashamed. This could happen to you as well, whether or not you meet you target. WHat you don’t understand is the way American companies do buisness. As soon as they have no need for you all they will throw you to the streets as well. Even though the target wasn’t meant there is no need to shut a company down without prior notice to the employees. Its disgusting and you all should stand up against this.
I blame the governments of the caribbean for this. Yes your people need work, but what you should do when companies come advertising jobs is to ensure that they pay for unemployment insurance or something along those lines. So that if in the event something like this occurs , the employees can actually get compensated for at least a period of time. This is disgusting and dominicans should watch their backs whilst they on here rallying against the other islands.
well said clear harbor Dominica management is a bunch of unqualified people who loves to kiss a*s so they will certainly not stand up and denounce the nonsense that went down in st kitts. wrong is wrong and if we don’t call clear harbor out they will do us just the same.What they did to St kitts was wrong and they used management of Ch Dominica to go do their dirty work..Shame on ch agents for condoning such foolishness .
There is a depression on, haven’t you heard?
This is not the . I am certain that they knew that this was coming. They were not meeting their target. Come to Dominica we have space for those who can do the job!
the other day i was saying that the govt not doing anything to create jobs. What if this happens in dominica…where are all the ppl who works there going to get job??
Yes the government has to create employment for it’s people but what about the private sector???
You people expect a government to provide jobs for lets say 60,000 and more persons? All those persons critizing the government whilst they have all their millions at the bank, why can’t they invest and create employment? The private sector is part of creating jobs too so stop bashing on government! government.
I wonder if is Obama who’s providing jobs for every single body in Americas 50 states? This situation is not something we should be rejoycing over because it can happen any where any time.
Imagine i wasnt going to reply because you sound so ignorant but here goes…
The private sector is EXACTLY what the name says….PRIVATE SECTOR..hense we cannot DEPEND of them to create jobs for the citizens of Dominica….if they do then we are grateful..but the GOVERNMENT on the other hand is made up of elected officials BY THE CITIZENS OF DOMINICA TO BE INCHARGE OF THE WELFARE OF DOMINICANS!!!!!!!!
So it is the duty of the Government to ensure that the well being of its citizens are met…..so next time you decide to speak rationalize what you going to say first.
I am not saying that the Government can provide jobs for everybody i was just pointting out that if this happens here what are we gonna do?
What are you suggesting they do?
but you urself don’t even makin much sense best you didn’t say anything,d goverment can’t create jobs for e’rybody you kno that,they cant put provisions in place so d private sector can create jobs…like karl nassief etc…
Government is an enabler, not a creator of employment. We have to start thinking out of the box and do a bit more employment and self employment instead of looking for a job. You cannot squeeze blood from stone.
if that happen in dominica the will never open another call center again our prime minister dont play they could never get away like that that is imposible not my pm they would have to pay alot of money to their workers and we would fight had to make that happen they would leave the country with nothing
dominican in anguilla do you not realise that this has already happened in Dominica(Call 767). employees from that era still haven’t received salaries.
I hope clear harbor in Dominica grows and stays vibrant because after the government it is probably the largest employer in the country providing jobs for over five hundred people and not only in customer service but in technical sector and management sector as well.
omg i can’t believe a few C.H D/ca employees bashing st. kitts a sister isle for an american company,,, we all in the heat,,, this shows alot of house negroes are still out here,,, i’d lynch u all mentality with no hesitation,,,, regardless what happened in st kitts this is no reason to bash them,,, they are dealing with there’s today,,,, our could be next,,, while we say oh d/ca is the main spot in the c/bean for C.H,,, just be mindful they can simply move to India which would be much cheaper,,,, or any other asian nation,,, so behave n pray this don’t happen to u all
Just a small taste of American way that’s all. Am sure none of them worker will be sleeping on the streets or in shelters with their kids, cause islands help each other in America they don’t, so just be happy they it When yall in the islands and not in the states cause by the looks of these comments many of yall would surely break if that happened to u in America ” No notice at all ” that was funny have U not seen GMC layoff 500 plus people in one day and many other companies to? People losing their homes they cars and have no place to live no family helping.
4 those of you all dat sayin dominica next n watch ur backs all u should b praying instead for this situation not to happen in Dominica……if this does happen u know d amount of ppl who will b unemployed in our country, those of us who are single parents n those of us who are d bread winners for our family…..n its not only the ppl who are workin by d call center who will b affected but what bout d bus drivers on which dey travel to go to work n the hair salons n the manicure n pedicure salons dat get filled up every fortnight by these workers cus we all know its how dey do…but atleast dey helpin someone else to make a dollar after dey make theirs…..n wat bout our country’s income it will also decline….because less employment leads to less income…please ppl lets pray for the best cus i got friends n families who have kids n a household to take care off and i kno some of u do too…
i must agree with u. I worked at CH Dominica for about 3yrs before leaving last yr and i must say the negative comments need to stop. every company has its ups and down but at the end of the day no one wants there job to close down. over 100 people are currently unemployed in st kitts yes…however that is just a dent in what Dominica has. The last time i checked before i left last yr CH dominica had over 550 employees and more. so people think before u speak because if this company closes down that means hundreds of people out of a job and the unemployment rate increasing in the country. i know there are alot of employees that just left high school, some in college still working part -time to help pay for there education,single mothers,those living on there own and the list goes on……
to all of the commentators,who have never been on a call,who have never even worked at CH D/A ,i dont think you all shud be commenting,let those who are employed say how it is. like every job in D/A it has it ups and down,but the point is we deliver to the customers exactly what they want,so to those who said we are cursing them americans,i say HUSH UR MOUTH( song by Triple Kay)
I’m sure you all are doing a first rate job. However, that should not make us blind to the fact that operations like these can operate from almost anywhere and will gravitate to locations that enable them to maximise profits. That is the reality. We can only do our best and hope that by offering a first class service we’ll be able to retain and grow local employment.
Boy that government impressive. They spoke out so clear and fast. When the last Call 767 close down in 2005 just like that and had over a 100 jobless and 3 months salaryless in Dominica – our Government of the day did and said nothing then up to today. Thank you so much!!!
And they are still owing us.
That is very sad so many is unemployed at this time, The management of Clear Harbour should give advance notice. I am sure they knew they had to close down. Dominicans employed with Clear Harbour brace yourselves, and give a fair days work for a fair days pay, be professional at what you do, Dont take your job for granted, stop cursing the customers on the phone, and learn to speak proper English, stop rapping to the people on the phone, all these attitudes can be bait for a close down of Clear Harbour in Dominica.
This is the problem of wooing large-scale investment from outside, whether it be a cruise ship or call centre. At the end of the day, these so-called “investors” can call the tune and there is very little you can do about it. They distract from the pressing need to develop our own initiatives.
You are so right!!!!!! I say this everyday!!!!!All I hear from the Caribbean leaders are”outside investors” but barely do you hear about what steps they are taking to encourage internal/local investment.Schools don’t even prepare students to be entrepreneurs.Sometimes I think our mental pathways are still colonially conditioned. Foreign investor’s plans are never in the interest of the people and country at large.If several people in Dominica for example would collaborate,the money combined would be apar with the amount SOME of (not all all)foreign investors bring to the table.
companies who operate call centres, have to meet the demands of the client they have to satisfy standards that reflect courtesy and respect to customers. If a call centres meets those standards u will have satisfied clientel and uless the client is going out of bussiness… nothing to worry about…
Dominica next!!!!!
why should Dominica be next..dnt know why you people like to cry negativity on Dca, and you wonder why th country staying backward…
Hope this will not be a trend, it will have serious implications for us here in Dominica if it is, every aspect of society would be affected, Hire purchase stores, Landlords, Financial institutions you name it! But the truth is telecoms is one of the most unstable markets, as new technology comes in the old ways of doing things becomes obsolete, compound that with high energy cost amongst others keeping some businesses afloat can be very difficult. I hope CH here in Dominica will not have and face this moment any time soon. But we should be mindful of a similar cases down Canefield a few years back. All the best CH Dominica!
YES allu do a damn good job at CH in dominica becasue allu coming to work with sagging pants and unprofessionalism yet…you in dominica are SOOO much better than those in St. kitts!?? taking pictures whilst at work and posting on facebook in all kinds of position……….anywayzzz HAHAHAHAH jokes
this is no reasaon to be bashing on another..yes wat happened in st.kittsb is heartbreaking but do not call the same for anyonther county..nt only 131 will be out of jobs 500 and counting will be..grow up with those little minded comment..american copanies are american companies and if ur a liability then they no longer need u..thats jus it..u guys wher not performing so that will always be the case do matter hw much dominicans rap or wat not for the customer the costomers are satisfied with the service..CH dominica has its downs but we make up for it..i bet ther was a previous warning that bu guys took for a joke and did not pull up ur socks..it happens everytime..CH dominica has alot of demons to fight rite now but they are working on it and taking notice of the possibility that this could happen to them as well..stop with the childish comment that goes to u “AYYE” and everybodyelse..both workers from dominica and ex workes from st.kitts..always remember at the end we caribbean countries are left with each oda and not any ammerican country to help..
u are such fool i am sure u are a person who applied to the company and was rejected due to your ignorance
Atleast we can take out our pictures In WORK..where do u take out yours???
Well well well… Its sad that this happened and my heart goes out to the former employees of Clear Harbor Stkitts.. For all those who thinks that Dominica is next, well, my response to that would be: if at any event Dominica’s site is closed, so will Grenada since Dominica is generally the main site out of the 3. If that happens, I guess clear harbor will have to take their business elsewhere. It will be difficult for them to set up business in another caribbean country after an event like this. As for the dominicans in St.kitts, am pretty sure when they come back to their country they’ll be able to get back their job, that is, if the site still exists.. But whatever happens, happens.. Only God knows what the future brings.. So as I always say, iz a vybez!
all u ppl want to do is just run all u traps! yes the way they did it was wrong! however u guys dont know whats happening internally! those ppl where lazy and took too much time off from work what all u know?? anyways…CH dominica aint going nowhere i hope!we do a dam well great job
these agents were too dam laissez-faire….we are not tooting our own horns but we beating our own drums too… Its a different culture and we know how to provide service… not forgetting we have some of the best managers and trainers out there….top quality service ! Sorry St.Kitts but i believe any call center would pull away, you all were not serious (some of you)
Let them show the reports thats all I will say…..Sk numbers speak for themselves great job team…..hope Clear harbor modern day slave ship dont capsize for your sake.
well iveheard da same thing about u guys and ur attitude to work…watch ur back
I pray you don’t eat your words later.
SO…i dont get you …are you mentally challenged or smthing? there are always people looking for jobs..you mean to tell me the reason why these 131 people are out of jobs today is because they were alllll incapable of doing their work!? what is wrong with firing the incapable ones and rehiring!? loool so funny no wonder you guys work at CH…
Are our government read to deal with them. If they do that to us we have to take them to court an charge them so other companies will get the message that companie should treat workers like people and not animals.
to all those clear harbor workers that like to show off … hope this trend does continue down here cause then you’ll in trouble ……
u should be ashamed if ur a dominican..calling such i a fing for ur country then at the end its someone like u that will say..income loww…come on.
get a clue
This could be a trend, D/Ca be ready for anything! This action is certainly common with offshore businesses!The reality is when they have to do what they have to do there’s no time to waste. Just hope for the best as this is a source of employment for many individuals.
That means they moving more business to Dominica, because its more expensive to operate in St. Kitts, salaries and utilities are much more expensive.
i believe is dominica turn next so get ready for the same bad treatment.
Helloooo hold your blight…..Dominica have one of the best services in the Caribbean if not the best, you know how much of St.kitts nonesense we have had to clean up??????? im not blaming everyone in st.kitts but some of your agents in you alls call center took this for a joke…a past time….. Sorry this happened to you all but dont try to bring us down with you all.
i agree…if u guys wher taking the job seriously now we dominicans would not have to fear..we have our faults to work on yes but the number off calls we get and hv to clean up the mess its unbelievable..but it is still a sad situation
Let me inform you that performance was clearly not the reason SK closed, ask ur GM Edwards….. For just being in existence for a mere 16 mths our kPI’s were on par ‘n in some areas surpassing Dominica this was simple as a result of you the dominicans not living up to standards. Dominica has the highest abseentism but since SK were the youngest team, had the smallest number we were cut. You guys better think str8 am not wishing bad and would never dear to do so on anybody who has kids to feed and bills to pay. Com cast will apply more pressure. It doesn’t matter you guys have a next center we started a class 3 wks b4 closing.
y r u so negative?wish Dominica well for a change.
I rebuke that staement. I don’t work at clear harbor, but FYI they are expanding in Dominica and hiring approximately another 150 people. It’s Creating jobs etc. Dominica is the biggest branch and getting bigger. Maybe St. Kitts didn’t meet customer or quality service standards…I mean….have you ever heard a Kittian speak…t’s horrible english
WHat are u really saying about kittitiains we speak much better than people in DA, more educated, so know ur place please. Ask Hamlet she say the men here sweeter to hehehe
Dominica next!
this company employs many young persons in Dominica, if it closes and u dont have degree or nothing, hmmmm that is TROUBLE WII. young people dont just leave ur education on hold and say u goin to work clear harbour. know of so many that did this…so sad
i kno wi…take ur struggle an finish college…i mean dsc is not the best but it sure damn well helps!
guys…lets think about this…i mean is a call centre..where they speaking to americans…if they give me two or three months notice think about it …all you doh think them ppl going and curse out those customers and say what they want who going and not come work who taking sick leave….who cursing that supervisor they never like as for them americans papa met they going wild on them wild so you cannot logically give a call center any kinda notice because they deal with people over the phone “call center” but at least they pay them off……..nobody not saying that though. anyways free up CH dominica.
curse them to get fired faster? they would use the 2 or 3 months notice to try and save any cash they can or even do overtime because jobs are scarce…..and FYI: not all the calls are bad, so cursing ain’t necessary and not everyone curses to prove a point
that is so ridiculous going wild on the customer for what.so you are saying its right for these mf to just pack up and bounce without advance notice.you people are crazy who can ever go in the United states and treat americans like that? the answer is no one, we give EXCELLENT customer service so no one should come in our country and treat us like trash.You guys have no idea..
where in Dominica yoiu get good customer service? Clearly, you have no idea what good customer service is
That’s how these offshore companies operate. Most times when their tax break is over they move operations to another island. Look Grand Bazaar moving to St Kitts I believe.
But its wrong the way this was done.
and to the idot talking about “investors like these”….all businesses are an investment and any business can fail for whatever reason so stop talking that nonsense.
there must be other reasons why this happened whithout notice!!
but he did not say what is the next move for the dismissed workers. all he talked about was BLA BLA BLA LIKE THE LATE MFR
That is the danger with investments like these, whether it be here, India or anywhere else. They can be set up with little or no capital investment and move literally overnight, having set up an alternative location in advance without you even knowing about it. By their very nature they require a relatively large number of employees 24/7 and are difficult to dismiss by countries that have a high unemployment rate and are hungry for jobs.
Thank you Hon. Sam Condor for looking out for the interest of the people who elected you. According to the article, it’s clear that Clear Habour is in violation of the law of the land and every corrective action should be taken to ensure that the company adheres to law. I salute you for all the energy and effort you put and hope that there is going to be a happy ending for the workers and the company. Lougaoo has a vested interest in St. Kitts and Nevis since his father was a native of Nevis and currently has roots in the land. Thanks Again Sir!
in the name of Jesus, i rebuke any statement of negativity made towards my country Dominica. As a child of the prince of peace i rebuke statement made by “a little humor does wonders”…i also rebuke any future negative statement posted….In Jesus name i confess positivity for my blessed country Dominica and for all the employees of clear habour Dominica…Have faith the moment you doubt you fall…but have faith for as little as a mustard seed….
Lord God it’s not man say…it’s not the opposition that can help us, not the PM, not the managers of clear habour, but you and your favor….help us born again believer to the salt of Dominica, speaking rebuking action that aren’t well pleasing to you with evidence and facts…in the name of your son Jesus Christ amen..
don’t worry our loving pm will take care of that
well well..D/A clear harbor watch ur back…is all i can say….
No notice at all? unless they are filling for bankruptcy this seems wrong.