~ Local employees planning to shut down powerplant ~
PHILIPSBURG:--- The CEO of GEBE Kenrick Chittick has refused to work with some 30 employees that traveled to St. Maarten from Aqualectra Curacao to assist GEBE workers to restore power to the remaining 60% of the population that is still without power. SMN News understands that Chittick has refused to sign off on a contract with Aqualectra who dispatched the workers to St. Maarten on Friday.
Sources say that Chittick is claiming that the cost of the service offered by the Curacao-based electricity company is too high. SMN News has been reliably informed that workers at GEBE are at their wit's end and are ready to shut down power because just recently the management board of GEBE took away all the Wrangler Jeeps that the workers were using to access the hillside locations. This decision it is understood has slowed down the restoration process.
SMN News further understands that the employees have decided to try and reach out to Prime Minister William Marlin and Minister of VROMI Christopher Emmanuel before taking action. Up to the time SMN News was contacted, the Supervisory Board members of GEBE were not aware of the latest developments.
