Lover clashes with boss over voting rights

A dispute over voting rights between a St Ann woman and her boss, with whom she was romantically involved, has led to her departure from the organisation.

The woman, Breanna, was placed on suspension by her boss, Ferron, after she spoke up about employees being entitled to three hours off, not including the lunch hour, to vote during the recently held local government elections.

Breanna, 21, told THE STAR that she was suspended from work for one week because she dared to have the discussion in her work WhatsApp group chat, much to the annoyance of the boss, on the eve of the February 26 polls.

"The boss texted in the group and said to please stop it because I am not productive enough to be so vocal. [He said that] my job is to follow instructions and work on developing my skill sets. I replied to him and said, 'Yes, I know, however, by law it's mandatory for employers to give employees three hours to go out and vote'," Breanna explained.

"He then responded to that message and said, 'Didn't I tell you to keep your opinions to yourself? For that you have earned yourself one week suspension' and then he just removed me from the group," she added.

Ferron, when contacted by THE STAR, did not deny Breanna's account of the conversation that took place in the work WhatsApp group. He also said that all staff members who wanted to vote were given the time off to exercise their franchise.

At the same time, the businessman said that the WhatsApp messages to which Breanna referred do not tell the full story.

"She is not a former employee. She's an individual who is my intimate partner. She is someone I was dealing with," said Ferron, who disclosed that his wife works at the entity.

"We have been intimate for quite some time. The issue that we have is greater than just the company. My wife works there....and she was disrespectful and I could not allow that," he added.

However, Ferron's claim that Breanna was not his employee appears to be at odds with assignment logs. Based on logs obtained by this newspaper, the 21-year-old was assigned to capture reels from the company in her role as mobile videographer.

Breanna said she resigned from the production company on Monday. She said that she is yet to receive payment for the days she worked prior to her termination, despite her many requests. Additionally, she has reported the issue to the St Ann branch of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for assistance.

"It has impacted me financially because they still haven't paid me. I am trying to see if I can get another job," she said.