MANAGEMENT of the National Communications Network (NCN) has refused to budge on its decision to suspend Sports Editor, Jocelle Archibald-Hawke, saying that the employee has had a history of bad behaviour.But the Guyana Press Association (GPA) is insisting that the decision was harsh and that the body will seek out every possible avenue to have it reversed.

Archibald-Hawke came under fire from NCN after heaping scorn on one of her colleagues, who had questioned President David Granger on his television show The Public Interest about “Pokemon Go”. She was made to apologise, but her apology did not find favour with NCN and she was suspended for one month without pay.

GPA met with management of NCN on Tuesday after it had requested a formal meeting on Saturday with the Chief Executive Officer, Lennox Cornette. In a statement GPA said it had received reports that: Archibald-Hawke was suspended on August 31, 2016 for a period of one month, without pay, over comments she made against a colleague on Facebook. The GPA was represented at the meeting by President Neil Marks, Secretary Iva Wharton, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Fareeza Haniff and Executive Member Nazima Raghubir. NCN was represented by its CEO Lennox Cornette, Human Resources Manager Tishika De Costa and Programme Manager Ron Robinson.

The GPA said that at the meeting it urged Mr Cornette and his executives to immediately rescind the suspension of Archibald-Hawke on the following grounds: 1. Archibald-Hawke was never reprimanded by the company over her comments on social media; 2. No Social Media Policy exists at NCN from which any sanction can be imposed against staff; 3. NCN took disciplinary action on the ground that the apology, which was demanded of her by management was not to the satisfaction of the aggrieved employee in question rather than to management’s satisfaction; 4. Management did not at any time seek to engage Mrs Archibald-Hawke and the aggrieved employee, together, to discuss the issue and resolve it in an amicable manner.

According to the GPA statement Mr Cornette argued that the action taken against Archibald-Hawke was not only because of what she said about a colleague on Facebook, but about previous infractions against management, many of which are not rooted in management directives or policy at NCN. The GPA, on the other hand said it argued that the sole reason given for Mrs Archibald-Hawke’s suspension was the issue of her comments on Facebook. “We maintained that the suspension was harsh and need to be rescinded.”

The association said the CEO gave no undertaking to review the decision, but noted the GPA’s demand.

“It is useful to note that despite the CEO’s claims of previous infractions by Mrs Archibald-Hawke, it was only about a month ago the Human Resources Department approved her gratuity in full, indicating no issues with her performance on the job. THE GPA is left to no other conclusion than that the management of NCN is instituting willy-nilly sanctions against employees without these being grounded on any statement of management directive or policy. The GPA therefore urge that this practice be discontinued forthwith. The GPA will be pursuing all avenues possible to have the suspension against Mrs Archibald-Hawke rescinded,” the statement read.