00:00 TV6 News has obtained a suspension letter dated February 27th, indicating that a paid
00:07 suspension of senior instructor at MIC Kamal Ramlal, which was expected to end on March
00:12 1st, has been extended to March 15th.
00:16 MIC stated that this was due to the investigation to be conducted and is based on allegations
00:22 by MIC that Ramlal disclosed confidential information without authorization or that
00:29 deliberate malicious action was taken which could bring the institute into disrepute.
00:35 The allegations against the instructor came one day after a TV6 News report where a trainee
00:41 who spoke to us on condition of anonymity complained about several issues affecting
00:46 the education of trainees at MIC Mokoya.
00:49 However, this has not been stated as a reason for the suspension.
00:54 General Secretary of the Public Services Association, Kellan Wallace, explains the reason for the
00:59 extension of Ramlal's suspension.
01:02 MIC had a delay in respect to appointing an investigator into this whole matter.
01:10 And the person they would have chosen to do the investigation was not accepted by us,
01:15 the association.
01:16 We would have then therefore put forward three names.
01:21 And then the first person that they would have chosen, she declined.
01:24 And then we have agreed on where the second person on our list has accepted it.
01:29 So the investigator has now been appointed.
01:32 Wallace says in doing so, MIC breached a collective agreement as he states that the process to
01:37 appoint an investigator is supposed to be initiated three days subsequent to a suspension.
01:43 Six days had passed prior to them reaching out to us with the names for investigator.
01:49 So there while a notice would have gone out showing that Mr. Ramlal is no longer on the
01:58 timetable as the senior instructor at the Mokoya Center.
02:03 So they had time to do that, but not time to appoint an investigator.
02:06 The PSA tells us it is not satisfied with the time the process has taken, as we've been
02:12 informed that the senior instructor is eager to return to work.
02:17 How is this affecting, if I may ask, your member?
02:21 It has affected him tremendously.
02:22 It is not only him, but his family, because his father, also a previous union person within
02:30 his own sphere, is very disturbed at the manner and the high handedness in which this has
02:37 been done.
02:38 While the PSA awaits the outcome of the investigation, Wallace is of the view that Ramlal should be
02:43 allowed to return to work as he claims that many of the problems the instructor has been
02:48 writing MIC's management seeking redress of are now being sorted out.
02:53 Give me an idea as to what you're referring to.
02:56 Right.
02:57 There's a specific machine that is needed for the students to do practical work.
03:03 Another department has one of those machines that they are not using all the time.
03:09 He would have been asking and recommending that they be allowed to use that machine.
03:15 But yet the other person, one of the golden boys or apple of the eyes in MIC, held on
03:21 to it like if it is his personal machine and didn't want to release it to allow Mr. Ramlal's
03:27 students to use it.
03:28 So these are the things.
03:29 But all of a sudden, now the students are going to be allowed to use it.
03:34 We contacted MIC on the extension of suspension of the senior instructor.
03:39 MIC tells us it is an active investigation and as such it wishes not to comment on the
03:45 matter.
03:46 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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