The United Bermuda Party yesterday repeated its call for an independent inquiry into the Bermuda College' Human Resource management practices, saying it should extend beyond the selection of a new College president.

In a statement released yesterday, Opposition MP and shadow Education Minister Neville Darrell outlined a catalogue of HR related stories covered by the media in recent weeks to back up his call.

“We need to be courageous enough to look critically at this institution that is pivotal to the long term success of Bermuda and do all that is necessary to ensure that the Bermuda College offers not only the best learning environment for our students but also the most fair and equitable workplace for our educators and staff,” the statement said.

“Let's get the Inquiry moving so that all of us can move forward.”

Turning to yesterday's story about financial comptroller Jane Smith's redundancy, Mr. Darrell said the situation smacked of reprisal by senior management against a whistle blower and blamed that on the Human Resources department.

Ms Smith's career at the College ended after she questioned credit card charges made by the College president and vice president.

Management said that she followed the wrong procedures and revealed confidential information, according to Ms Smith.

A statement from the College yesterday disputed her account of the events which led to her leaving the College.

“It can't be right when the employer takes a reprisal against a long-service employee for voicing a genuine concern about specific financial procedures,” Mr. Darrell said.

“What did the Human Resources Department at the Bermuda College do to ensure that administrative fairness was provided to this worker who found herself in a set of very delicate and power ladened processes which threatened her employment? What did the Human Resources department do to ensure that this worker was not constructively dismissed by the College, which appears to have happened? Apparently not very much.”

He lamented the fact that Bermudian applicants for the post of College president appear to have been discriminated against by a flawed selection procedure.

And, he said, he was yet to receive answers on the procedures used to hire Abdallah Ahad, the former College professor alleged to have been hired under false credentials.

He also demanded to know why a complaint filed by Sean O'Connell - the white lecturer who was fired for allegedly making racist statements - was not addressed in a timely manner.

“There is a growing awareness among the general public of the fact that the Human Resource management practices at the Bermuda College are in need of scrutiny and investigation,” Mr. Darrell said.

Government had responded to Mr. Darrell's parliamentary questions regarding the procedure used to hire the president by admitting that the local applicants had been treated differently because selection panel members did not “feel comfortable” interviewing their peers.

“This situation was not only regrettable but in my opinion it was wrong and smacked of discrimination. Whether the discrimination was unlawful under the Human Rights Acts 1981 was a matter for further inquiry and disclosure of its findings by the competency agency charged with discrimination complaints in Bermuda,” Mr. Darrell continued.

“As troubling and disconcerting these turn of events are, there are other equally troubling matters that need to be addressed in the employment practices at the Bermuda College.”

He then accused Government of ducking parliamentary questions on the Ahad case.

Abdallah Ahad was ordered to submit his credentials to the Ministry of Education shortly after the Bermuda Sun published a story with serious questions about his qualifications. The Public Service Commission was last month asked to investigate the matter but to date the public remains in the dark as to the outcome or progress of the PSC's deliberations.

Mr. Darrell said he had submitted a series of questions on Mr. Ahad's credentials, whether the College had attempted to verify them and whether he was interviewed before being hired at the College, only to be told that the Minister was off the Island would respond when he returns.

“This position by the Minister of Education, the Hon. Terry Lister is misleading at best,” Mr. Darrell said adding that the technical officers prepare the answers and hand them over to the Minister of his acting colleague.

“In the meantime, one can only hope that the Public Service Commission will announce its finding to similar questions presented to them about the appointment of Mr. Abdullah Ahad to the public school system. This matter is not simply going to go away.”

Mr. Darrell also turned to the imminent departure from the College of long time employee Michael Bradshaw.

“Here is another long service professional with over 20 years experience and has a recent Ph.D in community college administration, the same professional credential as the newly appointed president of the Bermuda College,” he said.

“He has spent valuable time moving the Bermuda College toward overseas accreditation, which is quite an accomplishment. He is moving on because the College does not have a suitable position for which he is duly fit and qualified. He is being terminated. By the way, he did not even apply for the recent position of president at the Bermuda College but he is a Bermudian and perhaps he wanted to be spared the embarrassment of the interview panel not feeling comfortable with his application.”

He added: “What role has the Human Resources department at the Bermuda College played in the development of succession planning; strategic training and development and promotion of Bermudians at the College?”

College president Michael Orenduff, Board chairman Raymond Tannock and College spokesperson Evelyn James Barnett could not be reached for comment yesterday.