There has been widespread surprise in Anguilla over the resignation of the Chief Executive Officer of the Anguilla Electricity Company, Mr. David Gumbs. He resigned with immediate effect in a letter to the ANGLEC Board dated Thursday, May 23.
Mr. Gumbs has been at the receiving end of a great deal of commendation, and respect, for his hard work in restoring full electricity throughout Anguilla by Christmas 2017, following Hurricane Irma which substantially destroyed the island’s electrical network in September that year.
It all appeared an impossible task but ,with much teamwork from Anglec’s workmen, and teams from several Caribbean islands and Canada, Mr. Gumbs was able achieve the restoration of the electricity supply in Anguilla in record time.
He quit his job under the term “constructive dismissal”. Part 10, section 87, of the recently-passed Labour Relations Act, reads as follows:
(1) An employee is entitled to terminate his employment contract without notice or with less notice than that to which the employer is entitled by any statutory provision or contractual term, where the employer’s conduct has made it unreasonable to expect the employee to continue the employment contract.
(2() Where constructive dismissal has been proven, the employee shall be deemed to have been unfairly dismissed by the employer.
Meanwhile, the Government of Anguilla, shareholder of the Anguilla Electricity Company, met with employees on Wednesday afternoon, May 28. The meeting was not in connection with Mr. Gumbs’ resignation. It was in fact with respect to the Government’s proposed sale of a portion of its shares in ANGLEC to investors. This specific matter was shared with the staff by Premier Victor Banks, while the Minister of Labour, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, spoke about matters related to issues of concern of the staff and the protection of their employment and benefits.
