Dave Beckford, a groundskeeper at the Atlantis Resort, is one of 14 fired hotel union shop stewards who has filed suit against the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Worker's Union.

Published On:Friday, July 09, 2010

By TANEKA THOMPSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

tthompson@tribunemedia.net

FOURTEEN shop stewards who were dismissed by a union executive are suing the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Worker's Union asking for an injunction on their removal and unspecified monetary damages.

The union, its President Nicole Martin and Secretary-general Darrin Woods are listed as defendants, according to a writ filed in the Supreme Court on July 6 by the group's attorney Richard Boodle.

The writ states that the group of 14 served as shop stewards for several years until they were dismissed by a letter dated May 6, 2010 signed by Mr Woods and copied to Ms Martin.

Felix Munroe, Dave Beckford, Clarinda Bastian, Florence Knowles, Yorick Evans, Spence Ramsey, Carol Thompson, Sherry Decosta, Tanya Knowles, Claudette Cooper, Tyrone Knowles, Melony Gibson, Pearl Henfield and Pamela Allen claim that because they were elected to their posts they can only be removed by a vote from the union members at their respective place of employment.

They are seeking an injunction barring the defendants from "purporting to exercise a power of removal over the plaintiffs" from their elected positions.

The plaintiffs are also seeking a declaration that the defendants have no power to remove the group from "their elected positions as shop stewards."

The fired shop stewards are also asking the court to declare that until the plaintiffs "are properly removed from their elected positions" by a vote from the union's members they are entitled to continue representing union members at their place of employment - Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.

The plaintiffs are also asking the court to award damages, court costs and any further relief deemed just.