‘Anointed or appointed?’: NUPW brass air grouses

Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Wayne Walrond today suggested that President Akanni McDowall is not the union’s saviour as some who are seeking to have him appointed in a newly created role of Secretary General have suggested.

But McDowall, saying he had no quarrel with Walrond, neither was he seeking to usurp his authority, contended that he has only been acting in the best interest of union members and picking up the slack where needed.

The NUPW leaders sought to make their positions clear, following a controversial special meeting called earlier this week regarding the leadership of the 77-year-old institution.

Speaking on the Down to Brass Tacks radio programme, Walrond acknowledged that the union has its challenges.

“Criticism of the union is a healthy thing, but I keep hearing this claim that the only way to resolve the problems it is facing is to appoint Akanni McDowall as the Secretary General. But the union has established structures in place to deal with any issues, including the staff manual, the National Council and the union’s Constitution. When you go against these procedures and act as though you want to appoint this person by any means necessary, it goes against what the union stands for and this is not the image the union needs at this time,” he argued.

McDowall, meantime, contended that the proposed Secretary General post for which he was being recommended was not an attempt for him to gain absolute power within the union.

“This post is about representing the members, which has always been my focus, and it is really no different from the current General Secretary post except that the Secretary General will serve for four years, whereas the General Secretary now serves at the pleasure of the National Council or the membership,” he explained.

McDowall denied claims he was trying to usurp the General Secretary’s authority, saying that he only wanted what was best for the members.

“I would have tried to speak to the General Secretary and I also wrote to him regarding the challenges we were facing, because to my mind workers were not getting the representation they deserved, and I found myself filling in some gaps the General Secretary should have addressed,” he said.

Walrond admitted that both he and his predecessors, Roslyn Smith and Delcia Burke had challenges in carrying out their work.

However, he stressed that the role of the president of the union is to essentially sign cheques and chair meetings.

“But he (McDowall) was going out representing workers, saying he had the right to do so because the members elected him. However, since the president is still a public servant, he is constrained from saying certain things, whereas the General Secretary is a union employee and can therefore speak more freely when it comes to negotiating issues,” Walrond said.

He also dismissed suggestions that the battle between himself and McDowall was a political one.

“I have never been a member of any political party in Barbados. When a worker gets dismissed, I do not see B or D; when workers complain about a sick building, I do not see B or D. I see an issue that needs to be addressed and I am firmly focused on that. This party thing is being used to push an agenda and I am very annoyed about that!” Walrond insisted.

Meantime, when asked whether he had become somewhat silent since the 2018 general elections, McDowall said that the current administration had taken a more consultative approach.

“We have been achieving results without having to agitate as much as we did before,” the NUPW president said.
(DH)