The Supreme Court ordered her re-instatement as a technician on Thursday and Christine Perriot showed up to work at BTL this morning. The security showed her in, and asked her to take a seat which is when senior managers came down to tell her what we had told you on Thursday: that she is on special leave and that she is not to show up at any BTL facility. Today Perriot seemed unfazed; she told us it gives her two more reasons to sue BTL.
Christine Perriot, Returned to Work Today
"For me it is a blatant contempt of court. The judge directed BTL to reinstate me and it should have been effective February 28th (April 10th) so reinstatement means going back to the same position because he said, 'reinstatement as a technician of the internet department grade 6 with all benefits and entitlements.' So for me that is normal, nothing different.
I am still an employee of BTL and then when I read the letter that I got on Sunday, it says that while I am on this paid vacation leave, which I still don't know what it is, I am to conduct myself as an employee of the company. So here you are telling me to don't come into compound, you don't have any right to come into the compound, stay away, and they are not explaining anything because Miss Dawson couldn't answer my questions, and at the same time they're telling me to behave like an employee of the company."
Jules Vasquez,
So where do you go from here?
Christine Perriot,
"Well Jules contempt of court and violating another right under the Trade Union Act is just two more to add to my case because the letter is saying that I don't have to come to the company. That is good. They are going to give me a paid leave, to my understanding they are going to pay me my salary while I am on leave. They haven't paid me my salary as yet. They keep on saying that they have paid me this 25 weeks and they have paid me but they haven't. They haven't paid me not one salary since February 28th."
Jules Vasquez,
But you have the confidence that you will, as per the court's order, return to BTL as a technician?
Christine Perriot,
"I have confidence that the court will rule in our favor, in the workers' favor. I have confidence of that. I have the confidence yes that workers rights and dignity will prevail."
