Members of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) have moved to the High Court and have received from Justice Nareshwar Harnanan an interim injunction to stop the current executive from holding elections until they account for various sums of money utilised by the union over the past 10 years.
The interim injunction granted on Thursday seeks to restrain the respondents or their servants or agents “from holding or attempting to hold an election for office bearers for the Executive Council of the Guyana Public Service Union until the 3rd day of May, 2017, or sooner on the production by the respondents of the Auditor General’s report to the applicant and members of the Guyana Public Service Union and the audited treasurer’s report for the Guyana Public Service Union for the past 12 years to date.” The application was made by Attorney-at-Law Nigel
GPSU President Patrick Yarde
Hughes on behalf of Gregory Gaspar, Chairman of the GPSU branch 72.
The 19 executive members who have been prohibited by the High Court from holding the elections are: GPSU President, Patrick Yarde; 1st Vice President Mortimer Livan; 2nd Vice President Dawn Gardener; 3rd Vice President Carmelita Laully; Deputy General Secretary Kempton Alexander; Principal Assistant Secretary Samantha Fedee; Assistant Education Officer Vera Naughton; Organising Secretary Sonny Singh; Assistant Organising Secretary Andrea Goles; Economic, Research and Project Officer Charles Baker; Assistant Economic, Research and Project Officer Trevor Daly, and Assistant Treasurer Thomas Nestor.
A rift has, over the past weeks, developed between the current Executive of the GPSU and certain branches of the Union, and this has continued over various issues, including Yarde’s longstanding appointment to the post of president and his inability to “effectively” represent union members, as well as issues relating to transparency and accountable.
Yarde has been serving at the helm of the union for over 30 years, consistently being re-elected to the post. However, some members are of the view that he is illegally in the position and is “holding a leash” to the post. To this end, a protest was held by several members calling for his resignation.
Concerned members pointed out at a press conference last month that there are some objections to the procedure used to increase the dues and annual levy, since the Union’s accounts have not been audited since 2003.
Member of the Bureau of Statistics branch of the GPSU, Michelle Layne, has said that when her branch made requests for the audited accounts of the union, Yarde reportedly responded by saying that they should go the Auditor General for the reports. Meanwhile, the front runners of the protest against Yarde, Jermaine Hermanstyne and Karen Vansluytman, had stated that the GPSU President had adopted certain “intimidation tactics” against members protesting against him.
The concerned members further outlined that whenever the union had grievances with the Government, it would call on public servants to protest and strike; but now that the very public servants are taking a stance against the union, they are being disregarded and called unprofessional. She noted that Yarde had even written the agencies with which the members participating in the protest against him work, and complained about their “unprofessional and partial” conduct.
