Second meeting into NUPW sackings fail

Barbados Daily Nation, 14 July 2000

PLANS BY members of the National Council of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) to table an amended resolution concerning the sacking of two officers were foiled last night.

They needed 15 people to form a quorum but only 14 were present.

The council members were gathered at the Horatio Cooke Auditorium, Dalkeith, St. Michael, seeking to determine why Beverley Alleyne and Joan Alleyne, both employees of the union, were sacked last month. "We want to know why they were fired, the reasons given and who gave the executive the authority to do so," said council member Ricky Cummins.

General secretary of the NUPW Joseph Goddard said the resolution was structured incorrectly and the members were acting inappropriately.

President Millicent Small, whose walk-out ended the first meeting called last week to discuss the matter, said the persons fired were terminated as staff members and not as members of the union. Therefore, she said, most of the rules being relied upon by members of the council did not apply. There wiil be a meeting Thursday.