Opinion: Dismissed Without Dignity: Know Your Rights, Workplace Affairs!

The views expressed herein are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of One News SVG.

The Rule of Law, particularly in protecting the vulnerable from arbitrary state power, is the cornerstone of any functioning democracy. In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the transition of government should never signal the suspension of statutory rights. The practice of dismissing long-term “contract” or “daily paid” workers orally after decades of service, without providing severance or formal recognition, raises a disturbing question: has the administrative process replaced legal obligation with political convenience?

Under the Protection of Employment Act, the distinction between a “permanent” employee and a “contract” worker is often less rigid than employers assume.

If a worker is initially hired on a one-year contract but continues employment for ten or fifteen years, the law often views this as continuous employment, implying a contract of service. When a worker serves for an extensive period, they develop a “legitimate expectation” of renewal or, at least, a fair termination process. Sending a worker home verbally after 15 years is not merely cold-hearted; it clearly violates natural justice principles.

Moreover, denying severance or ex gratia payments to workers who have dedicated their lives to the State disregards the fundamental spirit of the Labour Laws. St. Vincent’s regulations are designed to ensure that workers are not discarded like obsolete machinery.

Bypassing these financial obligations by relying on a contract’s technical end date or its initial nature, while ignoring a decade of tasks performed for a salary or stipend, undermines our households’ economic stability and erodes trust in the government as a model employer.

When a new administration, regardless of party, allows for the summary dismissal of long-standing public servants without consultation, verbal letter, or compensation, it creates a climate of fear rather than progress. If the government seeks to modernize the workforce, it must do so transparently and legally, providing the redundancy pay and honours earned through years of service rather than resorting to verbal dismissals.

Respect for the worker is, ultimately, respect for the law itself. As the model employer, do better!

By: Augustine Ferdinand, B.Sc. in Political Science , M.Sc. in Labour and Employment Relations, Director of the Institute of Governance and Policy of Latin America and the Caribbean.

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