PHILIPSBURG:--- Management of GEBE suspended their commercial manager Steve Duzanzon on Tuesday due to some monetary issues. Reliable information provided to SMN News states that one of the contracted clerks took a client's money to pay their GEBE bills but never paid the bills, leading GEBE to disconnect the person utilities, the source said the clerk who is a close relative to a Member of Parliament first told her superiors that the monies were inside her drawer but she lost the keys. "When this matter surfaced the contracted clerk went on sick leave and GEBE waited until she returned to work to address the matter. The source said that management broke open the drawer and there was no money inside the drawer. They said the clerk then said she gave the monies to the commercial manager Steve Duzanzon, with that information coming from a relative of an MP, management of GEBE immediately suspended Duzanzon until further notice while the female clerk is still on the job. SMN News tried to reach Duzanzon by phone for a comment but he could not be reached on Wednesday.
Sources at GEBE said the company is in chaos and is heading downward because Minister Maurice Lake and other members of government are allowing the Chief Operating Manager to do as he pleases. "Basically management is hiring unqualified persons for major positions. Can you imagine they got rid of the HR manager and appointed someone that simply cannot do the job, besides that this person has a questionable character."
They said that the COO Romellio Maduru hired someone that was interviewed by the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ivan Solomon who found the candidate to be under qualified.
The workers who spoke to SMN News on the condition of anonymity said that this person is from St. Maarten but GEBE is paying a hotel room at Great Bay Hotel and rental car for her while her salary is the second highest in the company. "We were told that this person also applied at PJIAE for a job and when she was interviewed at PJIAE they found she was not qualified for the job even though she walks around with several certificates. We heard that the certificates are fraudulent and we are calling on the Minister in charge of GEBE to do a proper background check on the person who is taking information from the human resource department and discussing it at bars. We are also asking the Minister to tell us why GEBE paying a hotel room and rental car for someone that lives on the island. Besides that, we want to know since when people working on contract for GEBE could get paid vacation to travel overseas to do liposuction and plastic surgery on their buttocks. This person is walking around as if she owns GEBE and she is treating the workers very badly." Another strong concern for the workers is the decision taken by management to take away a position from a young St. Maartener that has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in communication and give it to someone from St. Kitts who does not even have proper documentation for the island. "Just recently the company had to run around to fix re-entry permit for someone they give a high salary when William Brooks was managing the company. This woman does not have the qualifications for the job. She was hired by Brooks and given a huge salary. In order to justify the salary and benefits this persons is getting they took away the communications job from a young local who is highly qualified and gave it to someone who does not have the required certifications. The same person was working at customer service and she created a huge problem there, the company got several complaints about her attitude towards clients and instead of giving her a warning they promoted her to a position she simply cannot handle."
The workers of GEBE said that the company was supposed to do business with the French side but they could not because GEBE is not providing sufficient water for its customers on the Dutch side. The company (Seven Seas) is pleading with the management of GEBE to get its act together because they simply cannot produce sufficient water for its customers and management refuses to go ahead with building the power station for the water plant in Pointe Blanche. "Right now it's a total mess and government knows about this but they are not doing anything to rectify the issues because GEBE gave them three years concession fees in advance.
Three New Members Appointed to GEBE Supervisory Board.
Just recently Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake who is also responsible for GEBE appointed three persons to the supervisory board, they are Veronica Jensen Webster, Attorney at Law Zylena Barry, and Kelvin Bloyden.
Efforts made to reach Minister Maurice Lake on Wednesday afternoon proved futile.