A bitter feud between two top bosses at the Water and Sewerage Corporation will lead to both being fired, it was claimed yesterday.
Chairman Donald Demeritte and general manager Abraham Butler will be “relieved of their positions” in the very near future, The Tribune was told.
Well-placed sources said the “public bust-up” between the executives had landed both on the “unemployment line”.
A leading government source said: “It is unheard of for executives of a corporation to be at each other like this. This outward fighting can’t be condoned, so it’s best to do away with both of them.
“And you can’t move one without moving the next. First the general manager shouldn’t have gone public, and when the union president sided with one executive (Mr Demeritte) his position was also seen as void,” the source revealed.
However, Mr Demeritte has stated he is “quite confident” his contract would be renewed for 2006, despite accusations that the feud was disrupting the day-to-day business of the corporation.
Earlier, Mr Butler said Mr Demeritte did not understand his role as statutory chairman, and was exceeding his respon
sibilities by interfering with the executive management in essentially running the corporation.
The rift between the chairman and general manager has been played out in the press. The sources said both men would be removed from their posts for “improper public behaviour” and open verbal battles. Mr Butler claimed the chairman had set the corporation back years in its development; labelling him a “disruptive force” at the WSC. The feud reportedly began brewing a few months ago over the reverse osmosis project at Arawak Cay, and reached boiling point when Mr Demeritte agreed several promotions at the corporation, allegedly without board consultation.
Mr Butler said: “The present issues facing the corporation are a result of abuse of power, personal agenda and a gross lack of proper corporate governance by chairman Demeritte, all of which are not in line with corporate objectives. “This has resulted in chaos and division within the organisation, and has set the WSC back several years in its transformation plans.”
Since taking office, Mr Demeritte has granted 100 promotions, costing over $1 million. As a result, a number of senior officials found themselves in a “role reversal”, answering to junior staff.
Supporters of Mr Demeritte claim the promotions were an attempt to correct previous “political appointments” granted under Mr Butler’s stewardship, allowing for a more “level playing field” at the corporation.
The Tribune was unable to contact Mr Butler yesterday, and Mr Demeritte declined to comment.
By PAUL G TURNQUEST, Tribune Staff Reporter
