Former Country Manager of Guyana Goldfields, Violet Smith, is not happy with the way the company has parted ways with her and she said she felt disrespected.

Smith, who was one of the founders of the Canadian owned company, told the 94.1FM Morning show on Monday that she learnt that her position was made redundant via a press release.

Ms. Smith said after working with the company for twenty years, she found it very unfair to learn about her departure from the company like everyone else.

“I think it was very unfair, it was disrespectful. I felt that it was disrespectful. I am a person of deeper faith. I believe that I need to move on and I have started to move on. I have always had properties that I am mining and I believe that the company will deal with me fairly”, she said.

The company is currently negotiating her exit package. An offer was made to her by the company’s new Senior Vice President, former US Ambassador Perry Holloway. But Smith said she made it clear to him that as someone who served the company for 20 years, she did not feel that he should be the person pitching an offer to her when he has been on the job for two weeks.

Halloway was appointed to the senior position at the company just after he wrapped up his diplomatic posting in Guyana and retired from the US Foreign Service.

Reflecting on the company over the years, the former Country Manager said she is proud of what she was able to build and she will now attempt to do that again by starting another gold mining company.

She said on reflection, she believes that she took a number of things for granted during her time as Country Manager for Guyana Goldfields.

“I took for granted persons’ face value and that if you say cat its cat, and if you say rat it was rat…As Guyanese we take a lot of things for granted and in the outer world, people are looking for work.”, she said.

She noted that while she was surprised with the company’s handling of her exit, she had indications that it had planned to move in a different direction when it also cut ties with the other founder, Patrick Sheridan.

“Patrick and I started this company. We’ve been together for over twenty something years, starting it from exploration, so it was not unexpected but the way in which it was done, you know, reading about it”, Smith said.

She said her main focus now will be on the new company she will be setting up, adding that she is proud of what she has left behind at Guyana Goldfields.

Guyana Goldfields last week announced that it had made Smith’s position redundant with immediate effect and had also promoted a number of persons, while hiring new staff.

Company officials have said that the company remains sound and will continue with its mining development for the gold sector in Guyana.

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