PSA executive stands behind Duke after audit findings

Despite the findings of a Public Services Association (PSA) audit which revealed questionable financial practices in its operations, the union’s executive appears to be standing behind its president Watson Duke.

A report on the audit’s findings was carried in a newspaper article on Sunday.

The audit, which was ordered by the High Court in January 2020, covered the years 2014 and 2015. It was done by chartered accountants E Augustus Alexander and Co.

The audit reported overspending that exceeded the PSA’s income by $6.3 million in the last four years, questionable procurement practices and a high frequency of reimbursements to Duke, among other discrepancies.

Contacted on Friday, Duke, who had previously distanced himself from the article, again declined to give a response.

Instead, he referred Newsday to a PSA bulletin, issued by the union’s first vice-president Felicia Thomas, reportedly pledging the union’s support for his leadership. In the bulletin, dated October 26, Thomas said the association “rejects the innuendoes in this article and its shameless and distasteful attempt at politicking.”

Thomas said, “In response to this article, the association wishes to categorically state that its president and the executive have at all times operated within the confines of the association’s constitution and all transactions related to expenditure have always been duly authorised and approved by the executive and the general council in accordance with the association’s constitution.”

In the bulletin, titled Shameless Politicking, Thomas also questioned the timing of the article, weeks shy of the December 6 THA election.

Apart from being PSA president, Duke is also the political leader of the Progressive Democratic Patriots and candidate for Roxborough/Argyle in the upcoming election.

“This article, which has conveniently surfaced on the heels of the THA election, reeks of political mischief, intended to influence the outcome of these elections by attempting to sully the outstanding character of a champion and strong leader, the president of the PSA, comrade Watson Duke,” Thomas said.

“The Government has been taking draconian steps to keep public officers in subjugation and poverty through the unjust unilateral exercise of authority while the PSA has remained focused on the business of its membership and continues to fight to secure both financial stability and job security for all public officers.”

Thomas said Duke, since 2015, has “successfully taken political strides to break the (yoke) that has enslaved public officers and reduced them to servitude, having to work without just compensation, benefits and security of tenure.

“Therefore, the PSA stands behind comrade Duke as he seeks to remove the ‘proverbial albatross’ from around the necks of public officers.”