The unfair dismissal case of former general secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Roslyn Smith is set to be heard by the Employment Rights Tribunal (ERT) this month, almost four years after she initiated legal proceedings.
Chairman of the ERT retired Justice Christopher Blackman disclosed that it is set to begin on January 16.
The matter was initially scheduled to start late last year but was postponed due to some challenges.
Smith, who was retired by the NUPW in 2019, is reportedly seeking close to $500 000 in damages for unfair dismissal.
“That had some hiccups but we are starting that on January 16,” Justice Blackman told Barbados TODAY.
Trade unionist Caswell Franklyn was initially Smith’s industrial relations advisor in the matter but when contacted he said he was no longer representing her and she had retained legal counsel.
Smith, however, declined to disclose the identity of her legal team.
“I am ready but I am not going to divulge anything. I’ve been keeping a very low profile and I just put everything in God’s hands,” she said in a brief comment.
Meanwhile, president of the NUPW, Kimberley Agard told Barbados TODAY that the union was eager to get on with it.
“We had hoped by now that this would have been a thing of the past or that we would have been able to lay this issue to rest and move on. However, because of the hiccups of last year that wasn’t possible, but we hope that when it starts later on this month we can have a speedy resolution to the situation so that all parties involved would have closure and be able to carry on their business,” she said.
Back in 2019, the NUPW which Smith had served for 47 years announced that it had retired her, effective March 31, 2019, after an extension was given from October 1, 2018.
Smith had been a patient at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) from December 2018 to July 2019 and had submitted a request for a leave extension in a letter dated March 15, 2019.
The NUPW president at the time, Akanni McDowall, said a decision on the matter should be deferred to the union’s incoming executive committee and national council.
Five days after the union officially announced her retirement, Smith alleged unfair dismissal and initiated legal action.
