–agrees to pay suspended Sport Editor

WHILE suspension of the National Communications Network Sports Editor Mrs. Jocelle Archibald-Hawke still stands, management of the state-owned entity has agreed to somewhat temper the severity of the punishment with what can be termed mercy.Accordingly, she will now receive her salary in full for the month of September, whereas the mother of two had been suspended without pay for an alleged infraction. She is, however, expected to serve out the suspension in full, which means that she will be off the job until September 29.

The Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), representing Mrs. Archibald-Hawke’s interest, was reportedly verbally informed on Monday that she will be paid her salary for September. The Union and the sports editor are awaiting written confirmation of this new development.

Having served the NCN for almost nine years, during which she has passed several performance-based assessments, consistently scoring 100 per cent therein; and having been promoted to the position of Sports Editor almost two years ago, Mrs. Archibald-Hawke was taken off the air because she had, on her Facebook page, expressed the view that she was “surrounded by idiots”, after a colleague had asked President Granger what she thought was a really dumb question.

The NCN Human Resource Department had subsequently asked her to apologise, and she did; but she was nevertheless suspended, allegedly because the apology was not to the liking of her colleague. Moreover, reports of past incidents of misconduct which had already been dealt with had allegedly been revisited in arriving at the decision to suspend Mrs. Archibald-Hawke.

A number of prominent individuals and organisations have strongly condemned the action by the NCN management, headed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lennox Cornette. President David Granger himself thought the decision was “inhumane”, and said as much during his weekly televised programme, “The Public Interest”.

“She has not committed a crime; it is not as though she’s a murderer. I think it was inhumane to take away her salary or to suspend her from her job. I don’t know she has committed any crime at all,” the President said.