Members of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), say that they will continue to back their President Patrick Yarde, if he is re-elected at the upcoming general elections in April.
Speaking at yesterday’s press conference to address the GPSU’s elections and other matters, Vice President Mortimer Livan said that at the Union’s Statutory Meeting on February 28, the members of the Executive Council unanimously requested Yarde to run for the office of president at the April elections, and they have pledged their support to him.
Some members of the GPSU have been protesting for Yarde to vacate the president’s office, after 30 years of service. Yarde has been the Union’s president since he was first elected, in 1987.
Livan, labelled the protest action as a ‘masquerade’, which was devoid of any legitimate basis. He said that the sole intent of the protest was to embarrass the Union and the peddling of misleading statements which were eventually carried by the media. Livan added that the ‘so-called’ protest was carried out by three groups of people; a few misguided, and perhaps disgruntled members, those who refuse to pay the correct union dues, in accordance with the union, and non-members.
Livan said the main instigators: Jermain Hermanstyne and Karen Vansluytman, were creating a distraction, a camouflage and a smoke screen to bring attention to themselves. He said that the union believes that Hermanstyne’s and Vansluytman’s focus of attention is the upcoming Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union’s (GPSCCU) Annual Members’ meeting, where they have ambitions of becoming Chairman of the Credit Union, and a member of the Management Committee, respectively. Livan stated that they are aware that they do not have Yarde’s support, and are fearful that their ambitions will not be realized.
GPSU members Hermanstyne and Vansluytman were on the picket line on Tuesday, calling for Yarde to go, noting that Yarde and some members of the executive council have passed the age of retirement and are out of the public service.
“As part of the union’s rules, you are supposed to serve on the executive of a branch at your location where you work, or serve on a committee at the union. What you have is that persons who are there, that sit on the executive council, a lot of them are already retired out of the public service, like Patrick Yarde. They’re all above the retirement age but they seem to give the impression as if they are speaking on behalf of the workers of the public service, which is unfair,” Hermanstyne observed.
However, Livan yesterday cited union rule number 3, (a), (1), which states that an ordinary member may continue to enjoy the status even if he/she ceases to be employed, as long as he/she so desire. There is no age limit to membership.
Meanwhile, Yarde who was absent from the press conference, since he was engaged in another meeting, passed along a message that he viewed the protest as nuisance value, and therefore, he has no time or interest in giving it anymore attention.
Moreover, Livan said the reason why Yarde has gained the full support of the council, is because most of the members have found him to be efficient. He said that he has been to conciliations and negotiations with Yarde, and the manner in which Yarde deals with such matters, he doubts whether there is anyone who could be as efficient as the president. Livan said that the council had been with the GPSU president on many occasions, and have seen what he can get done.
The vice president added that the GPSU electoral process for the office of president is a democratic one, and in order for anyone to contest the elections, they must be a member of the union for three years, and have served on the executive council of the branch, two years prior to elections. Livan, said that there are six eligible candidates for the position of president and the onus is on them to get persons to vote for them. However, Livan reiterated that it is up to the members to vote. One member who was at the press conference said that if Yarde has been there for 30 years, it is only because the members wanted him there.
Livan said by tomorrow the list of contestants for all the positions will be circulated since the elections officer is still compiling it, and when it is completed it will be at every ministry and department.
On the matter of transparency in the elections, the vice president said that they will be following all the rules of the GPSU. He said the elections officer had already advertised for the election of office bearers in the newspapers, ten weeks before the elections date as required by the rules. The next step had been the circulation to all the branches of a notice of the elections, bearing the offices to be contested and the criteria for nominees for the various posts. Livan said that nominations had closed last Friday and all the nominees were being reviewed to ensure that they were eligible to run for union office.
