The Grenada Employers Federation (GEF) has apparently got government to accede to its request to remove embattled General Manager of the state-run Grenada Development Bank (GDB) as a director of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).
Informed sources told GRENADA TODAY that Health Minister, Senator Ann David-Antoine who holds the NIS portfolio has written to the federation to inform them that Dumont will be removed from the Board of Directors.
Dumont was appointed on the NIS Directorate on virtue of his position as head of GEF.
He has since been replaced by Brian Campbell, the Manager of Communal Co operative Credit Union Ltd who is now at the helm of the federation.
According to a well-placed source, the Keith Mitchell-led New National Party (NNP) government was apparently dragging its feet on the move to replace Dumont with Campbell out of fears that its influence on the NIS board could be diminished.
GEF had been engaged in a protracted battle with government for several weeks to effect the switch in directors.
The source said the Employers were getting the impression that government seemingly felt that it had the powers to give final approval to persons appointed to serve on the NIS Board of Directors.
"If you take a look at the act, what you would see is that the Employers can choose whoever they want to serve on the Board. All they have to do is to inform government and government in turn make the necessary appointment", he added.
"That is all the government has to do. It cannot tell the Employers Federation who to select to serve on the board. Certainly, the government cannot dictate to the Employers people who to select and who not to select", he remarked.
Dumont is already under a cloud of suspicion following moves by the Board of Directors of GDB to have him removed as General Manager of the local bank.
The Board has despatched a letter to Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. Keith Mitchell asking him to sack Dumont from the top job in the wake of a row between him and GEF over a $17, 000.00 cheque made available to the federation by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for a training workshop.
Dumont reportedly held onto the money for a long time despite repeated requests from the Employers body to hand over the funds to pay the workshop facilitator.
Under the act governing the operations of GDB, only the Minister of Finance can appoint or dismiss the General Manager.
