NCN suspends Sports Editor without pay over Facebook post about colleague’s Pokémon question

Archibald who has been in the employ of the state-owned radio and television network for a number of years, was handed the suspension letter on August 29, 2016.

NCN suspends Sports Editor without pay over Facebook post about colleague’s Pokémon question

The management of the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN) has suspended Senior Reporter and Sports Editor, Jocelle Archibald for one month without pay over a post she made on Facebook questioning a junior NCN producer’s decision to question the President about the Pokemon game on the President’s weekly Public Interest television programme.

A source close to the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union has confirmed to News Source that it has been made aware of the suspension and has launched a probe.

Archibald who has been in the employ of the state-owned radio and television network for a number of years, was handed the suspension letter on August 26, 2016, instructing her that the suspension will run from August 29, 2016 to September 29, 2016.

She had been instructed to remove the post and issue written apologies to the Pokemon asking Producer, Norman Gobin and his manager at the company, veteran Programme Coordinator, Wendy Hermonstein, for going to her personal Facebook page and questioning the Producer’s decision to question President Granger about the Pokemon game on his Public Interest programme.

Her Facebook post read “Who goes to interview the president… The President and asks about pokemon go…. I’m surrounded by idiots”.

There are reports that an Information Officer from the President’s Public Relations Unit had also called NCN about the Facebook post by Archibald.

Ms. Archibald wrote the apologies but reportedly did not sign the one for the junior producer. NCN’s management thought that her apologies were not sincere enough and were disrespectful and the Human Resources Manager on the instruction of the CEO, handed down the one month, no pay suspension. 

When contacted for a comment about the suspension, NCN’s Human Resources Manager, Tishika De Costa, said she could not offer a comment on the issue, although she was the one who signed the suspension letter.

She said all queries should go to the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Lennox Cornette.

News Source made several attempts to get a comment from Mr. Cornette for over five hours on Friday. We were told that he was busy in meetings. He never returned any of the calls.

 

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