A former employee of The News newspaper in St. Vincent is speaking out after being denied National Insurance Services benefits due to the company failing to pay her contributions.
The woman, who is already owed months of outstanding salary, discovered the situation when she fell ill and attempted to claim sick leave benefits. Upon submitting her information, she was informed by the NIS that she did not qualify because the newspaper was non-compliant with its payments.
The former staffer described the situation as overwhelming and depressing, noting that she has completely exhausted her personal savings. She shared that when she attempted to explain her predicament to a member of the management team, she received no response.
Feeling she has no other choice, she has decided to seek redress through the Labour Department as soon as she is well enough, stating that those suing the company deserve justice.
This personal tragedy is part of a much larger collapse at one of the longest-running printed publications in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The News is currently facing a massive crisis involving legal battles, financial instability, and serious allegations of managerial misconduct.
The Labour Department has already attempted to intervene on behalf of other former employees who are owed significant sums, but because the newspaper failed to fulfill its obligations, the matter is scheduled to go before the court next month.
Sources have revealed that the financial state of the paper became so dire that lower-level employees were forced to loan the company thousands of dollars of their own money just to cover printing costs. Despite these sacrifices, many of those same staff members went unpaid for months.
Meanwhile, the publication has been embroiled in internal conflicts between shareholders and acting managing director Bernard Joseph, who reportedly established a separate company to manage the newspaper’s affairs.
Further allegations suggest that the newspaper’s circulation numbers were significantly misrepresented to advertisers, with only about 500 copies being circulated despite 3,000 being printed. Printing was eventually halted this year due to a lack of funds, and while the paper shifted to a digital format, many advertisers were not informed until after they complained, leading to several cancellations.
The human impact of this mismanagement extends beyond the current staff. Long-term employees with more than 30 years of service have reportedly been fired or have left without any severance or benefits.
One of the most tragic stories involves the late former managing director Shelley Clarke, who used his own money to keep the business running but was refused a payment he was owed by a shareholder before he passed away from a heart condition.
Today, the newspaper’s physical presence is literally fading, with signs on its old building bleaching in the sun as the legal system prepares to decide the future of the embattled institution.
