Tobago chamber head welcomes Duke’s PSA resignation

Head of the Tobago Business Chamber Martin George has welcomed the decision by THA Deputy Chief Secretary Watson Duke to resign from the Public Service Association (PSA).

Duke’s resignation as president of the union takes effect from December 31, according to his letter addressed to the PSA’s conference of delegates on Monday.

The move came after questions of legality and ethics of his holding the positions of PSA president and THA Deputy Chief Secretary were raised in the public domain.

Contacted for comment, George said the Chamber was encouraged by the decision.

“If it is that Mr Watson Duke has indeed chosen to serve Tobago as opposed to serving the Public Service Association, then we of the Tobago Business Chamber are indeed heartened.”

He said the chamber was ready and willing to work with the new team.

“We would be willing to work along with Mr Duke, Mr Augustine and the new PDP administration in the THA to ensure that business interests in Tobago are nurtured, fostered and developed.

“We would look to harness the talent, the potential, the energy that Mr Duke brings to the table in his role as Deputy Chief Secretary to ensure that we build a resilient and self-sufficient economy for Tobago.”

However, a PSA official is accusing Duke of violating the union’s constitution.

Curtis Cuffie, chair of the public health section and general council member, said the resignation was not in accordance with the union's regulations, which stipulates that the president is not allowed to have a full-time job outside his role as PSA leader.

He said Duke should have resigned hours after he was appointed deputy chief secretary, but continued to involve himself in PSA activities even after announcing his resignation.

Referring to the letter of resignation, Cuffie questioned how the process would work, given that Duke would technically still be a part of the association.

"You can't say you're resigning and then want to hold a conference and then accept your own letter of resignation. You cannot do that. The entire process outlined in that letter by Watson Duke is unlawful, and I am waiting to see exactly where it goes from here. He has no authority to do that.

"The highest body in the PSA is the conference of delegates, the general council, the executive and then the president."

He said as far as he was concerned, once Duke became deputy chief secretary of the THA, "He was out the door of the PSA and he has no authority at all to do anything in the PSA after that."

Contacted for comment, first vice president of the PSA Felisha Thomas declined to respond to Cuffie's criticism and said the union’s executive would make a statement after it met.

"In relation to the president's offer of resignation, that's something we will be able to make a statement on when the conference meets and we make a decision on the matter. So I wouldn't want to give any formal statement until that meeting has taken place."

When contacted on whether Duke also sent a resignation letter to the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), from which he has been on secondment to the PSA, WASA officials declined to comment.