Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 10, 2016 News
Staffers of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) are up in arms over a decision by upper management to rehire a Berbice supervisor who was accused of stealing electricity at his home.
According to staffers, the New Amsterdam-based official was interdicted from duty in 2014 and when his contract expired, GPL exercised its option not to renew.
The issue hit the news Monday when a letter to the editor in Kaieteur News called on President David Granger and new GPL’s Chairman of the Board of Director, Robert Badal, to intervene.
The letter claimed that staffers were demoralized and shocked at the decision to rehire the staffer.
Yesterday, GPL’s Chief Executive Officer (ag), Colin Welch, who reportedly took the decision to rehire the supervisor was not available, with the company saying that he was overseas.
Kaieteur News was told that in 2014, based on complaints, an investigative team from GPL’s Loss Reduction Department travelled to Berbice.
Homes of several GPL officials were visited, including the supervisor’s. He was the Supervisor of the Loss Reduction Operations Department at the time.
At the supervisor’s home, according to GPL officials yesterday, investigators allegedly discovered that the meter was tampered with.
The supervisor’s average monthly consumption was around 20 kilowatts per hour which would have been impossible, as his appliances would have burned more than that.
He was back-billed for two years for 175 kwh and paid over $100,000. Another $100,000 is owed to GPL.
Angry GPL officials yesterday said that the fact that the supervisor was charged with the responsibility of investigating customers for stealing electricity is enough to have sent him off the job. His contract expired in December 2014 while he was still interdicted.
GPL officials said that at the time of the investigations, the supervisor was disrespectful and aggressive to the team. The report into the alleged electricity stealing recommended that he face disciplinary action with his contract being terminated.
However, late last month, the supervisor was back at his old job.
GPL officials yesterday insisted that there was not much consultation and that the decision was taken at the top.
A number of protocols would have also been broken in the rehiring of the supervisor.
GPL, a state-owned entity that handles billions of dollars for customers annually, has been under fire for its sloth in reducing technical and commercial losses. There have been delays in a number of its projects to improve efficiency and add more generation capacity.
Last year, Welch was involved in a public, recorded spat with former CEO, Bharat Dindyal, over the suspension of two staffers at the Loss Reduction Office at Sheriff Street. Welch wanted the men suspended pending investigations but Dindyal overturned it.
Dindyal’s services were terminated soon after.
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