Smith says she is ready to get to work

There has been a dramatic turn of events surrounding the full-time leadership of the island’s main public sector trade union.

A year and a half after General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Roslyn Smith was retired by the union she served for some 47 years, the embattled Smith shocked her successor Delcia Burke when she reported for duty at the Dalkeith Road Headquarters today.

Smith’s surprise move came two days after Barbados TODAY broke the news that Acting General Secretary Burke was retiring at the end of the year and the post would be advertised.

Some observers are also baffled that Smith would turn up for work while an unfair dismissal case which she brought against the NUPW in July last year, is still being adjudicated by the Labour Department.

Smith, who is close to 67, is alleging unfair dismissal and is claiming close to half million dollars in compensation.

“I came and reported back to work and that’s it,” Smith told Barbados TODAY when reached by phone at the NUPW today.

Pressed to clarify whether she had retired, she replied: ”These people retired me when I was in hospital. I had not retired…and there is a whole case going on with my matter. So now that I am up and back up…I, I, that’s it. I reported to work, that is all I can tell you.”

Smith had been hospitalised for an extended period last year with an undisclosed illness.

Barbados TODAY also reached out to Burke who said that during an informal meeting with Smith today at the office, she insisted that she is still general secretary of the union.

“Roslyn turned up this morning and said she came back to work…she is reporting for duty. I asked her what happened. She told me she is the general secretary. I will have to wait and see if she turns up tomorrow because she is insisting that she is the general secretary and that we cannot advertise the post,”  Burke stated.

Asked if she intended to seek legal advice and guidance on this baffling development, Burke said there was no need to do so.

“To me there is no need for legal advice. NUPW has been very clear on whatever action was taken. So there really is no need for legal advice,” she added.

Burke gave the assurance that the search for a new general secretary will proceed as planned.

Barbados TODAY also sought a response from Smith’s union representative Senator Caswell Franklyn, who is General Secretary of the Unity Trade Union (UTU).

Franklyn too was caught off guard by his client’s actions.

“It caught me by surprise. She didn’t discuss it with me beforehand. I do not understand her thought process. This is all new to me…This is virgin territory. I don’t know what to do. I will have to research how to proceed,” the outspoken union leader and legislator admitted.

Today’s dramatic act by Smith followed a declaration by Acting Deputy General Secretary Wayne Walrond in Monday’s story that he will apply for the job when it is advertised.

Walrond, who has 38 years’ service with the NUPW, believes he is the best man for the job having acted on occasions and having previously applied for the position which was granted to Smith.

Repeated efforts by Barbados TODAY to reach union President Akanni McDowall were unsuccessful.

(emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb)