Letter of the Day | The whole truth on Petrojam consultant, ex-HR manager

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I write with reference to an article in the Jamaica Observer of June 14 headlined '$12M HR Manager'. The article quoted statements attributed to the general manager, which indicated, inter alia, that the previous HR manager was supported by an industrial relations (IR) consultant who was paid approximately $5.2m for the year."

The article quoted the general manager as saying, "The current HR manager is not complemented with an IR consultant because of her skill set and the experience she is bringing to Petrojam, so we would be paying more for the previous HR (manager) and the support."

Please note the following:

1 The IR consultant referenced was engaged on a two-year contract commencing October 16, 2015.

2 During the two-year term of the contract, a total of $5.4m was paid. Though a significant percentage was paid in 2016, saying the IR consultant was paid approximately $5.2m for the year, implying that this was an annual figure, is a bit misleading.

3 The IR consultant has a BSc degree from the University of the West Indies, along with five certificates in conciliation and industrial relations, including one from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and one from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (Washington, DC). He held several senior industrial relations positions, including director of industrial relations, Ministry of the Public Service, 1990-1995, and retired in early 2015 as the chief technical director of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

4 The previous HR manager has a bachelor's degree from the University of Technology and a master's from Columbia University (NY). Prior to joining the staff at Petrojam, she served in senior HR management positions in the agriculture, bauxite and telecommunications industries, where she covered all areas of human resource functions, including industrial relations.

5 The real comparison, therefore, would be nearly $12.2m per year ($9.5m, HR manager/$2.2m consultant) for the two individuals with the combined qualifications and experience detailed above, versus $12m per year for the current HR manager whose qualifications and experience will be provided within the next two weeks.

Like the other stakeholders, I look forward to juxtaposing the qualifications and experience of the current HR manager with the qualifications and experience detailed above, at which point we will be able to objectively access the veracity of the general manager's claim.

HOWARD P. MOLLISON

Former General Manager

Petrojam (Feb 2015 to July 2016)

PO Box 708