~ Union says plan has to be tabled first ~
PHILIPSBURG--TelEm Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Helma Etnel on Wednesday gave the first hints that the company will be restructuring soon which may result in a reduction of personnel.
Etnel made the statement during a general meeting of personnel at the Belair Community Centre while explaining that the company is moving ahead with restructuring plans and aims to place personnel into new jobs and functions soon.
According to a TelEm press release, Etnel told staff that processes are now in place to begin personnel placement into a newly formed company and although this may happen sooner rather than later, "she can assure personnel that no action will be taken during December month when the impact would be harder on personnel who may be left without employment."
In response, President of the St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) Ludson Evers said he does not comprehend how Etnel could make that statement when the union has not been presented with the company's formation plan.
"Etnel had a general meeting where she presented the structure for the company (different from the formation plan), which was also presented to the union. But the formation plan is not on the table as yet. It is the formation plan that will determine if personnel would be let go and how many or if they cannot be placed in the structure. She promised the union that we would have the formation plan the end of September," Evers said.
"We have indicated that we want it in our hands by October 1. Only then can discussions really take place, only then will we know. It needs to be discussed and compared with what there is now. It is a whole procedure that has to take place prior to reaching any decision on personnel," he added.
At the meeting, Etnel also indicated that several projects now under way also make it impractical to begin the planned restructuring process until these projects are completed as expected at the end of October.
The CFO outlined the company's new organisational structure while touching on how the company's Corporate Support Services and Finance Division would look after restructuring. A view of how the company's Technical Division and Commercial Division would look after restructuring was also outlined by Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Eldert Louisa and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Brian Mingo.
Etnel provided timelines for specific actions and assured personnel that management will be keeping to the letter of the company's Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) and the Transition Agreement signed with the SMCU by ensuring that personnel will be treated fairly in the restructuring process.
Personnel had the opportunity to ask questions about the restructuring plans with some members of staff making suggestions about certain aspects of the restructuring process that management may have overlooked. According to the CFO, workshops will now be organised to present the restructuring actions and processes in greater detail to separate groups within the company.
"The information presented to staff was sensitive and potentially emotive, but restructuring for TelEm Group is now a reality that we have deal with so that we can move on," Entel said.
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