Government cites misinformation on salary packages 

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, June 29, 2023 – The Government is defending its decision to rework severance packages for employees of the TCI Tourist Board. In a statement released late Thursday (June 22) evening they confirmed that a meeting had taken place between themselves and the employees.

They say corrections were made to previous miscalculations and misinformation.

According to the release Miquel Swann, immediate past Interim Director of the Board and current  Permanent Secretary in the Deputy Governor’s Office, explained that there were “miscalculations and incorrect advice” provided initially, which led to some individuals receiving double payments.

Swann clarified that “labor laws and established guidelines were used to make decisions concerning final compensation and separation packages.”

It’s not clear where the reported misinformation came from, or why the government waited until nine days before the severance would become official as contracts came to an end to bring up the issue.

Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism said she was ‘disappointed about the misinformation provided in previous letters and acknowledged that proper legal advice was not sought’

The government did not disclose what the previous or the revised figures were, they also did not clarify why only some  employees had the reported error in their letters.

The release merely said, Connolly emphasized that ‘ the board is bound to follow labor laws and the guidelines set out in the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board’s Staff Policies and Procedures Manual.’

Clara Gardiner, Chairman of the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board, ‘expressed the Board’s satisfaction with the final calculations and apologized for the miscommunication and misinformation.’