Thompson gets ready to rumble

ERNEST Thompson, who was fired from his job at Bechtel International on Wednesday, is getting ready for a fight for his job, saying he is preparing a grievance procedure against the company. He said if there is still no amicable end to the issue, he is prepared to plead his case before the Ministry of Labour. “To date, I still have not been given a reason or justification for being sent home,” Thompson told Newsday. On Wednesday, it was reported that Thompson, who was at the forefront of a 12-week protest by Train IV construction workers of the Atlantic LNG plant, was among 12 workers receiving termination letters from the company, stating they were fired with immediate effect. Thompson said he was told of his abrupt termination via the phone from one of Bechtel’s managers while he (Thompson) was in a meeting with Public Administration Minister Dr Lenny Saith.

Thompson told Newsday he also received a letter around 11 am yesterday from Bechtel informing him of his dismissal. “I received the dismissal letter, but it contained no proper reason for me being laid off,” Thompson said. Asked what was his next course of action, Thompson replied, “Presently I am preparing a grievance procedure and will await a response from the company in a matter of three to five days,” Thompson said that according to the company’s response, he would then meet with the Minister of Labour, and seek redress in the Industrial Court if necessary. In a release yesterday, Bechtel stated, “During the life of a construction project, employment would increase and decrease according to schedule and work activities. On Thursday, August 26, ten persons were released as part of a normal reduction in the workforce based on the present workload on site. Over the past two months, over 185 persons were released on this basis. Ernest Thompson was one of the ten persons who were released today.”

The release also noted that “Any individual on this project who feels they have been wrongfully released has the right to file a grievance according to the project’s memorandum of understanding. Thompson said a meeting between Bechtel officials and officials from his contracting firm was called to strategise the lay-off process, to determine what method they would implement, and if they (Bechtel) were going to re-employ the dismissed workers. Thompson quickly noted, however, that Bechtel should re-hire every one of the laid off workers, and not just one or two. Thompson reiterated that the memorandum of understanding signed between Bechtel and its workers earlier this year included a clause which stated workers must not be victimised in any way. He also vowed to fight the matter head on and “with everything he has.”