Three resign from NUPW

The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has been struck with a number of untimely resignations.

Sources at the Dalkeith St Michael organisation confirmed that three key industrial relations officials including the officer responsible for the nurses division, Christian Rock, had opted to move on.

However, acting General Secretary Richard Greene has dismissed suggestions that the changes are indicative of discord among the union’s management.

“There are no rumblings in here. We had some junior staff who, from our understanding have gone their separate ways and have taken up new opportunities and they resigned,” Green told Barbados TODAY.

“They are three young members of staff, I can confirm that.”

The two industrial relations officers made up 40 per cent of the workers in the critical department.

But Greene maintained: “If three people leave any organisation, especially a small organisation all around the same time, you’ve got to make some adjustments.”

He added that an entire restructuring of the organisation is in the works as the union enters a period of recruitment for the positions of General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary.

The developments are unfolding at a time when the NUPW is trying to rebuild its image following council elections earlier this year that were so contentious that some matters landed in court.

It also comes in the midst of a controversial NUPW condemnation of the Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) industrial action over a number of issues affecting nurses.

Inside sources have also expressed concern that important union business is being neglected including the creation of numerous committees, including the nurses’, environmental committee and the sanitation committee which are ordinarily assembled shortly after council elections which were held in August.

The source acknowledged that after elections, the new council asked that divisional meetings be held in December and January. But amid increasing COVID-19 cases, it has been difficult to get members to come out at this time and form a quorum.

“We started holding some of the meetings on zoom. Some have been completed, not all of them,” he said. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb