Still no resolution to PSA election drama

Embattleds members of the Public Services Association (PSA) are taking their complaint of a flawed voters’ list to the union’s conference of delegates for a resolution.

The conference is expected to be held on December 18, but if the issue raised by one of four teams contesting the PSA’s executive elections fails, the matter will be resolved by a High Court judge.

The PSA Fixers and the PSA’s election committee yesterday returned to Justice Nadia Kangaloo in the Port of Spain High Court to report that there was no resolution to their lengthy mediation talks.

The PSA’s election was scheduled for November 27 but was called off after the Fixers successfully obtained an injunction challenging the process.

The Fixers’ attorney Raisa Caesar said the issue still troubling the team was that of the sanitised voters’ list and her clients were unable to accept the proposal put to them by the election committee.

She said her clients were willing to compromise in the interest of transparency and accountability but wanted to do so in accordance with the PSA’s constitution.

Attorney John Heath, who, although not retained by the committee’s members, was assisting in the negotiation process for the PSA, said it was troubling that the issue was before the court when it could be resolved by the union’s Conference of Delegates, which the constitution allows.

“With an election (date) having come and gone we cannot see why parties cannot get back on an election footing. The conference can resolve all issues raised. A special conference can be called in seven days where everything can be resolved. It cannot be disputed that the conference is the body under the constitution to deal with the issues raised,” he said.

Although a conference of delegates is carded for December 18, at least one other team contesting the elections is questioning how this is to be done when there has not been a conference since 2012, contrary to the constitution.

The conference of delegates is made up of members of the union’s various sections.

In the meantime, the judge has set a strict timetable for attorneys to file written submissions and witness statements and said she is prepared to give her ruling on a Saturday if she has to so that the election can be held by February 25.

She has set January 27 for her decision but has asked parties to return on December 19 to ascertain if the issue was resolved at the conference.