A local radio personality and station manager has clashed with his former employer over claims that he was wrongfully dismissed.

Wesley Phillips, also known as Mr Magic, has claimed that he was fired in a text message from Irie 98.3 fm station owner Ben Fairn at the end of November last year.

Mr Phillips, who started hosting the morning show four years ago, said the message asked him for the station keys and informed him that it was no longer possible to keep him on because of financial reasons.

“I helped build that station,” Mr Phillips said. “I formatted that station, I helped bring in clientele and customers. I was the one that was getting calls at late hours at night to go to that station and make sure it was running correctly. I was on call 24 hours a day,” he added. “I am a Bermudian and I am holding a position, and here I was; my job was taken away from me.”

Mr Phillips claimed his troubles started last June, when he had to go to the United States for kidney surgery.

“Prior to going, we had made arrangements for one of the other staff to fill in for me in the morning show,” Mr Phillips said, “and when I came back I didn’t have a job.”

Mr Phillips said he spoke to Mr Fairn, and after briefly being back in his slot he said that he was told that his replacement would be taking over the morning slot permanently and that he would be doing the midday show.

Mr Phillips added that Mr Fairn then told him that he would have to find another source of income because he could no longer afford his salary. But Mr Phillips added that he was not fired at that time.

“I had to cut my recovery time short in order to go back to work so I could continue to get a paycheck,” Mr Phillips said, adding that he had been paid until after his surgery and that his insurance was being paid up until that point.

“Also, during this time he had been mentioning how he [Mr Fairn] was going to be bringing in a sales manager,” Mr Phillips said, “this was someone from overseas. I come to find out that she was the station manager.

Mr Phillips said that at the end of last year cancer was diagnosed in the lymph nodes in his neck and that he left the island for three months on December 9 to receive treatment abroad, which was successful.

“Prior to that, he sent me a text message firing me,” Mr Phillips said. “He breached the contract and from what I understand he did the same thing with Earl Basden.”

Mr Fairn said the claims were false and added: “All of the on-air staff are hired as contractors, on a specific contract that they have copies of.

“They are hired as contractors because changes can be made at any time,” Mr Fairn said, adding that it is common practice for contractors to pay their own payroll tax, social insurance and health insurance and to be paid only for the hours they work.

“It’s a tightly run business and we have to be flexible,” Mr Fairn added, “we survive on advertising and the Bermuda market can be very tight. We had to cut our expenses and did so by automating the midday show,” Mr Fairn said, adding that changes were being made at every station because “we are all struggling.”