Power Plant in total shambles, causing all day outages.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The government owned utility company GEBE has over half a million dollars in court fees to pay lawyers while the power plant is in a total mess causing constant power outages throughout the Dutch side of the island. The court fees also includes retainers fee for the attorney that represented the former board of directors that were contesting their dismissal from the company.
SMN News learnt that the Supervisory Board of Directors are being accused of dragging their feet and playing games when it comes to the appointment of persons to the operational board.
Besides that the Supervisory Board is also accused by workers and certain politicians for not acting swiftly enough to solve the problems that are causing the constant power outages throughout the Dutch side of the island. According to the information SMN News received the residents and businesses on the Dutch side of the island will have to endure a lot more darkness and heat as the situation at the power plant will not be regulated unless there is an iron fist on the operational board.
According to well-placed sources SMN News learnt that the engines at the power-plant were not properly maintained for the past two years causing them to shut down while several employees working at the power plant are constantly being placed on medical leave. Some of them it is understood manages to get doctors to give them as much as month off from work for minor ailments. According to the information SMN News received shed light on how much the workers of GEBE have been neglected over the years and the current state of affairs of the functioning of the company comes from disgruntled employees.
SMN News has been reliably informed that the in-coming CEO of the company William Brooks had to be rushed off island on medical emergency since he is ailing for some time now. The source said Brooks left the island on a wheel chair to take a flight to Colombia for medical treatment. So far the shareholder neither the supervisory board of directors have not released any information on whether or not Veronica Webster Jensen passed the screening or if the Council of Advice finally gave a positive advice for the appointment of Jensen as COO of the company.
Another issue brewing at the government owned company is the court case and position of the Human Resource manager Clifford Sasso who won his court case against GEBE allegedly because the temporary manager of GEBE Andrew Zaggers and the law firm that is representing the company did not fully represent the interest of the company when the case was taken before the courts. Sources say that Zaggers and Sasso are best friends and as such he looked the other side when Sasso took the company to court. The union and several workers of the company are now protesting the re-instatement of Sasso to his position citing that Sasso is not competent and he has been having sexual relationships with the female employees in order for them to keep their jobs.
SMN News further learnt that MP Maurice Lake is ‘spitting fire” because he felt that some members of the Supervisory Board of Directors are simply playing games with the people’s business.
Efforts made to reach the chairman of the Supervisory Board Roy Marlin for a comment on the constant outages proved futile on Monday.
