PSA Fixers agree to talk

Team PSA Fixers has agreed to hold mediation talks with the Public Services Association (PSA) election committee to arrive at an amicable resolution to their complaints, which led to Monday’s elections being postponed.

The Fixers obtained an injunction last Friday after they complained of a breach of election rules and the union’s constitution by allowing voters who are not eligible to vote.

The Fixers’ complaint came up for hearing before Justice Christine Kangaloo in the Port of Spain High Court yesterday and it was agreed to have the matter adjourned to Friday to give the parties time to possibly resolve the issues without having to go to trial.

Speaking to the media after the short court hearing, incumbent PSA president Watson Duke, who leads the Game Changers – one of four teams contesting the elections – said he was “burdened” by the court action, because, he said, “Today should be the day that thousands of public officers would have gone to the polls and cast the vote for the Game Changers. I am troubled by the fact they did not get the chance to exercise their franchise and I am further troubled by the fact that the matter is postponed for another time.”

Duke added, however, that he took comfort from the fact that his presidency had been extended.

“I continue to carry on the duties of the president and we have some important business next week with the Minister of Finance.

“I would have liked the strength of a new mandate, but the old one is still strong,” he said.

He said he gave the union’s 14,000-plus membership an opportunity to vote him out, but his rivals instead chose to stay away from the polls.

The Fixers’ presidential candidate, Solomon Gabriel, who brought the lawsuit, maintained that the election was flawed and the union’s constitution had been breached.

“This injunction is not only about the PSA elections, this is about the union itself. That is why people are leaving it in droves,” he said.

For his part, leader of the United Public Officers, Oral Saunders, said his team was encouraged that some mediation was taking place.

“The only person who has benefited from this is no other than the incumbent, but he has absolutely no mandate to speak. We are here clearly because of incompetence in the PSA’s leadership,” he said.

Nixon Callender, who is also contesting the presidency, for Team Sentinel, said he did not want to speculate on the outcome of the court matter, as his slate were neither a claimant nor a defendant.

“It is just a glitch in the matrix and we will allow the rule of law to prevail. The sanitisation of the list is for the staff and general secretary. Team Sentinel never had a problem with the list,” he said.