The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

SENIOR Bahamas Public Service Union executives have accused the union’s leadership of repeatedly breaching its constitution, withholding information about its affairs and failing to provide a clear process for an election that must be held by the end of September.

Executive Vice President Craig Edward Bethel, Acting Secretary General Valerie Percentie, Treasurer and Northern Region Vice President Latoya Cartwright, publicly raised the concerns outside BPSU headquarters, alleging that the executive met only three times during the past three years despite a constitutional requirement for monthly meetings.

They also questioned appointments made following the deaths of two serving officers, raised concerns about the eligibility of some prospective election candidates and called on Registrar of Trade Unions Yolantha Yallop to intervene in the election process.

Mr Bethel said repeated requests for executive meetings went unanswered and that the last meeting was held “probably a year and a half ago”.

“We are just agitated,” he said, “and we want the public and members of the public service to know that the constitution has not been followed during our entire period as we were executives.”

Mr Bethel said the executives have documentation showing their requests for meetings.

He said another meeting was proposed by Zoom, but some executives refused to participate because they had not been provided with documents outlining the union’s financial and other affairs beforehand.

Mr Bethel acknowledged BPSU president Kimsley Ferguson’s intention to retire and said the executives wanted his legacy to reflect transparency. However, he alleged that transparency had not been provided.

He said executive members had a collective responsibility for decisions made by the union and wanted an opportunity to examine its affairs before the annual general meeting.

“We’re going to try to educate all members as to why this is important,” Mr Bethel said, “because the current president has decided to retire, and we need to ensure that if there are any expenditures or any issues that are outstanding, that they be wrapped up in a timely fashion.”

Mr Bethel also called for changes to the BPSU constitution, arguing that it does not specify what should happen when its provisions are breached.

“It needs to be revised,” he said, “and we as the current executives, we realise the time is short.”

The executives also questioned appointments made after the deaths of two serving officers, including secretary general O’Neil Thurston.

Mr Bethel alleged that the appointments were made without consultation with the wider executive and said no document had been produced showing executive officers signed off on them.

He said procedures that should have been followed were not followed.

The dispute comes as the union approaches an election expected before September 30.

Ms Cartwright alleged there were inconsistencies in preparations for the vote and said requests by executive members for greater transparency had not been resolved.

“Currently, there are persons slated, even on another team, that’s not even eligible to vote,” she said, “much less eligible to run for office.”

Ms Cartwright called for Ms Percentie to be allowed to establish an election committee so the membership register and eligibility of candidates could be reviewed.

“We are now begging the president once again to come to the table,” she said, “be transparent, hold a proper executive meeting so that we can address these concerns.”

Ms Cartwright said the union’s constitution imposes membership or dues requirements before a person can vote.

She expressed concern that delaying the election until late September could affect who becomes eligible to participate and said the membership register should be fairly reviewed so people could be removed or added where necessary.

Ms Percentie, who assumed the duties of acting secretary general following Mr Thurston’s death, said her position had been given “no respect” and that her immediate concern was ensuring the election complied with the union’s constitution.

She said the constitution places responsibility for organising the election process with the secretary general.

Ms Percentie said she met Mr Ferguson, who advised her about what needed to be done and told her she would oversee the process, but no subsequent executive meeting was held.

She said she began making preparations for the election and received “backlash” after writing to the leaders of the two contesting teams two days earlier.

“I got backlash because apparently, without the president, I should not have sent that out,” she said.

“It was simply to ask both teams to provide three people who they would be comfortable with to sit on the election committee, just to observe the process and to carry the process through.”

Ms Percentie said BPSU elections are normally held in September every three years, but no election date had been submitted to her.

Without a confirmed date, she said, she could not establish a deadline for nominations.

The executives are now asking Registrar of Trade Unions Yolantha Yallop to intervene and help determine how the election should proceed.

“Without her intervention,” Ms Percentie said, “we have no idea on how this election would go.”

She said there had been suggestions that nominations could be taken from the floor at the AGM, which she described as contrary to the union’s constitution.

“So we are openly asking Ms Yallop to intervene on our behalf,” she said.

The Tribune made multiple attempts to contact Mr Ferguson by telephone and text message for a response but was unsuccessful.