There is an atmosphere of tension at the National Development Corporation (NDC) as staff nervously await further news on cutbacks, the Sun has learned.

    "Everybody is so tense," one member of staff told the Sun following a meeting last Tuesday at which employees were told that some of them would have to go on the breadline. The workers were not told who or how many would lose their jobs.

    "They knew it was going to happen and they never sensitized people about it until you (the Sun) broke the story," one concern employee said.

    The Sun, quoting usually reliable source, reported on Monday September 9, 2002 that the NDC would be downsizing as part of cost cutting measures. And as the country continues to languish in a deep financial hole, reports have surfaced that up to 15 people at the state-run corporation could be severed.

    The corporation has already instituted several cost cutting measures including the suspension of overtime payments to technical officers and casual mileage to senior officers. The New York office was recently closed and the NDC officer there, Steve Johnson operates from his home.

    "Where our office was located in New York it was not a walk-in office. It was basically a nerve centre for communication. In the absence of affordable alternative, we felt that in the interim, we will go virtual," Vincent Philbert, NDC's general manager told the Sun. He emphasized that it was an interim measure and that other options were being considered, including use of the Dominica High Commission in Washington.

    "NDC is reviewing its spending and has seen a progressive decrease in its payroll over the past two years. The size of the organisation is shrinking," stated Philbert.

    In December 2000, there were 48 employees at the corporation. Two years later, in December 2002, the number had gone down to 42, mainly through a process of attrition. And during the next six months even more people will go, Philbert confirmed.

    An internal audit has already been conducted to form the basis for further cost cutting measures, especially in the area of personnel. However, it is being proposed that an expert from outside the corporation conducts a second but short audit to validate the internal exercise. Funding for the second process would be sought from external sources.

    "We are also looking at early retirement for eligible staff; there are a few contracts that are about to expire which we are considering not renewing," Philbert told the Sun in the September 2002 interview. This apparently remains one of the options the new board of directors will pursue.

    Philbert's own contract expired in December 2002. And while he would not discuss the issue of contracts, the Sun has learned that he is back at work on a month-to-month basis. So too are Steve Johnson and Ophelia Marie who has operated on that basis since September 2001. A source has also told the Sun that the administrative manager in New York was given early retirement. However, this could not be confirmed.

    The NDC is stuck between a rock and a hard place, according to Philbert, because of its structure and the workload. The corporation consists of a Special Events Unit which handles festivals; a Cruise Development Unit; a Product Development Unit which deals with issues of training, standards and development of legislation and an industry section which handles applications for investments. In addition, there are satellite offices in New York and the United Kingdom as well as information officers at Melville Hall, Canefield and the Bayfront.

    "The issue of personnel must be considered in context of these business units. Up to now there has been no indication that any of the units will be done with," Philbert told the Sun.

    At present, the corporation is using its compliment of staff to manage the EC$14 million eco-tourism project financed by the European Union. It has already received EC$1 million and the first phase is at "a very advanced" stage, according to the general manager. Most of the one million dollars is for the recruitment of consultants and the establishment of a project management unit by September. The unit will then take over management of the project.

    Amidst the uncertainty, there has been some excitement at the NDC over the upcoming launch of its new website, www.dominica.dm. At present, it is being reviewed by the board of directors, officials of the ministry of tourism and the Dominican Hotel and Tourism Association (DHTA), and is scheduled to be launched in March. The home page is already running and contains information on Mas Domnik 2003.

    "It (the site) will be the linchpin for marketing Dominica," stated an excited Philbert. "It will be one of the showcases for promotion of Dominica."

    Meanwhile, the new board of directors, under the chairmanship of Desmond Carlisle, held its first meeting on Wednesday. It was not clear if the downsizing was dealt with details. However, Carlisle said that no decision was taken on the matter.

    There are three new members -- Benoit Badouille, manager of the Dominica Port Authority; Derrick Pinard of Harris Paints and Esther Thomas of the minis of tourism. They replaced pat Inglis, Bobby Frederick and Joseph Gregoire. The other members of the board are Sam Raphael of the DHTA, Carlisle, Gerard Cools-Latigue, Charles Williams and Derrick Perryman.