McDowall and Murray yet to receive notification of charges

A three-member independent panel has been selected to hear half dozen charges against the suspended president of the island’s main public workers union.

The National Council – the highest decision-making organ in the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) – on Tuesday reached the consensus that Akanni McDowall will have to answer the six charges and that suspended member Natalie Murray must face three.

A well-informed source told Barbados TODAY that both public workers now have to be officially notified of the decision.

However, sources say that one charge claims that during the period of June 2, 2021 to June 17, 2021 McDowall condoned, encouraged and promoted on social media, radio and television and print, a resolution in which it was sought, among other things, to install him as Secretary General for four years contrary to three separate union rules.

A second charge alleges that the suspended NUPW leader engaged in conduct in a manner that was set to create chaos and calculated to bring the union into disrepute “and therefore you are liable to be sanctioned in accordance with Rule 17 (a) (ii).”

He is also accused of being “party to a petition that defamed senior staff members which could fracture the relationship between the union and its members and therefore goes contrary to the spirit of rule 3 (e).”

The council has also alleged that McDowall entered the NUPW secretariat at around 3:15 p.m. on June 16, 2021 and took a photograph of a union cheque payable to Queen’s Counsel Larry Smith for legal services.

“And by your actions, caused the photograph of the said cheque to be circulated through social media along with derogatory comments. You are liable to be sanctioned under rule 17 (a)(ii),” the charge added.

A fifth charge is that the suspended president has failed on occasions to present himself to the NUPW and sign cheques before the designated pay day to ensure that staff were paid on time.

The charge went on to state that McDowall’s most recent action was “where you failed to sign staff salaries before the pay day of May 26, 2021 – unwarranted and without reason, refused to execute your fiduciary responsibility with a sense of care and urgency thereby failing to adhere to rule 11(iii) of the organisation where you are required to sign in conjunction with the General Treasurer”.

The council said the delay in signing caused the staff unnecessary anxiety, suffering and pain

“This ill-treatment of staff is not consistent with rule 3(c), (d) and (e) and the values of the NUPW,” charges the union.

The final charge claims that the suspended union leader has repeatedly sought to usurp the authority of the General Secretary “as evidenced by your insistence to take the lead in making public statements – a responsibility that falls to the General Secretary as set out in rule 10 (a) (i), rule 10 (a) (iv) and rule 12 (a) (ii).”

The charge also pointed out that this was in contravention of a council decision made at a meeting on January 10, 2019 that the Acting General Secretary Delcia Burke and her trained industrial relations specialists shall speak to IR [industrial relations] matters and the president on policy.

Murray, on the other hand, is charged with promoting on social media, on radio and television and in print the same resolution in which it was sought, among other things, to install McDowall as Secretary General for four years contrary to three separate rules and in contravention of the established policy and practice of the NUPW.

She is also accused that along with others, she conducted herself contrary to rule 17 (a) (ii), calculated to undermine and overturn the authority and power of the National Council; “and to overturn the union’s staff structure and disrupt the settled process for filling staff vacancies”.

The final charge against her claims that she brought the organisation into disrepute, “injuring its standing and therefore not in the interests of the National Union of Public Workers.”

In coming to this conclusion, the charge cited her alleged conduct at a meeting of the council held on June 8, 2021 at which the police had to be called in to restore order.

The suspended member is accused of intruding on a “legitimate meeting of National Council…and despite repeated requests by the chairman and others to leave the head table and the meeting, you refused to do so contrary to rule 10 (b) (i)”.

Neither Acting General Secretary Wayne Walrond nor his deputy Richard Greene could be reached for comment.

When contacted tonight for a response to the charges, McDowall told Barbados TODAY he had not yet been officially notified.

Murray also stated that she had not yet seen the charges against her.

However, she said, “The National Union of Public Workers is a trade union and no trade union that is worth its salt would suspend a member before they give them a chance to see the charges or defend themselves against the charges.”

She continued: “No union in the world would punish a person before giving them a hearing. Even the laws of natural justice allow you a hearing. The NUPW is always telling people about procedure and process and due process.

“In this instance, they punished me without due process. Up to this day, I have not even seen a charge. I do not even know what the charge is…and that is all I have to say,” Murray told Barbados TODAY in a telephone interview tonight.
(emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb).