Postmistress General accused of making threats to employee
Speaking to this news site over the weekend, Ms Somersall said she has lodged complaints with Financial Secretary Neil M. Smith and Governor John S. Duncan OBE as she wants the situation to come to a satisfactory conclusion.
“Ms Stoutt needs to know her place and she needs to grow up. She is very unprofessional and everything for her must be personal,” she said.
Alleged threats
According to Ms Somersall, some years ago Stoutt allegedly threatened her with physical violence to her person. “It was some years ago and she brought four men to the office and two of them flashed their guns at me,” she said.
Somersall said that she did not make a report at the time. She said that she should have been in a place of protection being on the job and not on the road when the persons allegedly flashed their guns. “Some people threatened my life so of course I was scared...who wouldn’t be scared?” she asked. ”I figured if I just got up and go to the police it will get worse,” she said.
The woman said that sometime last year she had cause to remind Ms Stoutt that she had allegedly made threats to her and that she was not comfortable working around her in the post office.
Writing in a letter dated May 27, 2016 and addressed to Financial Secretary Neil M. Smith, Ms Somersall said, “Ms Stoutt has made threats to me on several occasions. She has already brought four men on the job to scare me and two flashed their guns at me during working hours...On another occasion she said she would put a bullet in my black f--king face. And yet when I came to you in a meeting held last year concerning these trivial matters you thought it fitting to disregard my threat complaints,” she said.
Somersall also said in the letter that she is being singled out and wrongly treated and that lies and malicious actions “seemed to be always geared at me and others doing the same thing or worse their actions are treated with a blind eye and a deaf ear.”
“I am tired of being stressed and abused in the workplace because too much is happening at the BVI post office and no one seems to care about the morale of the staff,” she said.
This letter was copied to Governor John S. Duncan OBE, the Director, Human Resources Department and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr The Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering.
Somersall seeking transfer
In a letter addressed to Governor John S. Duncan OBE and copied to Dr Pickering and Financial Secretary Smith, Ms Somersall formally requested a transfer to another department for her own “wellbeing.”
“I have been employed at the Post Office for more than 15 years and had enjoyed working here up until Ms Stoutt took over as Postmistress General,” she said.
When this news site contacted Ms Stoutt for a comment in response to the allegations made by Somersall, she said we should contact the Director of Communications Arliene T. Penn as she would not speak to the media. Mrs Penn is said to be on leave until June 10, 2016. Efforts to reach acting Chief Information Officer Ms Desiree Smith were unsuccessful up to publication time.
When we called Neil M. Smith for a comment he said he had nothing to say. Further he denied knowledge of any meeting involving Ms Somersall of which he was part.
Complaints 'swept under the rug' under NDP
There have long been complaints from civil servants that their complaints are often "swept under the rug."
Speaking during the continuation of the Seventh Sitting of the First Session of the Third House of Assembly at parliament chambers in Road Town, Tortola on March 24, 2016, First District Representative and Member of the Opposition, Hon Andrew A. Fahie supported this claim when he said he had received reports about some senior public officials using profanities towards public servants, including females.
“Another set of persons told me that in the Public Service there are persons in senior positions that are using profanities in the public setting like it is nobody’s business. Speaking to them like they are trash, and they are females. And I take that very seriously.”
According to him, public servants are discouraged from taking their complaints against wrongdoings to higher levels of management since they know some of the offenders are closely knitted to the National Democratic Party (NDP) Government and they know that nothing will come out of their complaints.
Hon Fahie further said he was even privy to a complaint being made by someone in the public service to “the highest level” and it went nowhere. “I was there sitting when somebody made a complaint against one individual at the highest level and the person making the complaint had to answer more questions than the person that was trying to get to the young lady,” Hon Fahie had said.
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121 Responses to “Postmistress General accused of making threats to employee”
of course knowing this government and what it stands for I don't expect anything to come of these serious allegations.
This situation needs a THOROUGH and UNBIASED investigation to be launched immediately. I know other people who have already quit working at the Post Office because of the way .......was dealing with them.
I believe Somersall.
An aside; The post Office needs a big big boost of functioning proper. Neil, get to it , if that is within your scope of job responsibility.
I believe everything the lady said. I had a friend that was working there, everyday she used to be depressed from the verbal abuse. She eventually quit her job. She too filed complaints but like the rest everything was swept under the rug. ppl need to go work agriculture since it seems like it's only animals they know how to speak to. Let them go there and rough up the cows!
ˈtrɪvɪəl/
adjective
1.
of little value or importance.
"huge fines were imposed for trivial offences"
synonyms: unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, minor, of no/little account, of no/little consequence, of no/little importance, not worth bothering about, not worth mentioning;
Now tell me why are such TRIVIAL matters on here. Her letter just helps to prove that she is making a big deal out of nothing.
Its scary. Needs investigating NOT vitcimizing
I know all the former employees of post office probably getting a good laugh outta dis story that S>>>>> has finally been exposed
Ms Somersall, you have been had !
Failing hard evidence of the armed confrontation "several years ago" and your reporting it to Mr Smith, i recommend that you submit a medical report claiming a psychological malady or tender your resignation rather than being sued br Mr Smsith and/or Ms Stoutt or worse, being involuntarily terminated from your employ.
They were looking for a move up the chain to be willingly demoted to the bottom of the decency chain of black femininity and economy..
Pretty soon, the International Labour Organisation may have to step in to ensure that workers rights are maintained and that workers are respected and treated fairly. There are also employers who cheat employees by withholding salaries, while treating workers like slaves. Those workers never get paid for their hard work or are given a mere pittance.
The Labour department seems overwhelmed! in the performance of their duties, while innocent people are forced to suffer all sorts of deprivation. This is not a good human rights record for a country so richly blessed! The perpetrators deserve to be identified and punished . Instead, they are being rewarded while others languish in poverty.
For starters , bizarre and questionable in the mix yet so many on the bandwagon of condemnation for the accused.
This mess and what are suppose to be sensible readers, is wacko and bodes not al all well for Ms S in the end.
I am feeling sorry for this woman. Even if her complaint is partially true, she is in a quagmire. Too bad, her written complaint is incomplete the way it is written. Her lack of education and good common sense shows and as the saying goes,"Ignorance is no excuse".
This is going to be messy as there are several names and accusations and a necessity for the accused names to clear their reputation and to safeguardd their future.
What is an ora and wha part ah she giving it off?
Chile, your aura say s "good to great" educated.