PSA members want Duke out

Tensions flared between PSA members and their First Vice President Christopher Joefield after members learnt they were barred from several General Council meetings.

Chairman of the Pt Fortin Corporation Section Jude Davidson lamented that there were procedures the PSA needed to follow before a person is debarred from a meeting and it was not done.

“We were debarred from the General Council and you (Joefield) come here now playing you don’t know what is taking place, which you very well know why we were debarred. Your secretary who is supposed to be a lawyer wrote this piece of crap and debarred me.

It never had a conference in the proceeding and I was debarred, on what basis Mr Joefield,” Davidson asked.

Following a heated discussion between the two parties, Joefield invited some of the General Council members to a meeting to address the issues. Joefield said, “It is an internal matter ventilated in the public domain and if we have to talk we can go inside and discus the matter and get the matter sorted out. If the members have a problem with the approach taken, we would expect they follow the procedures. To come to the media is not our way in doing things,” Joefield said.

During a press conference held yesterday outside PSA’s headquarters on Abercromby Street, Portof- Spain, Davidson told reporters the purpose of the press conference was to highlight calls for Duke to be removed as president.

“There is a member of the PSA who is on criminal charges. Normally when you are on criminal charges that person is supposed to be suspended from their job. But to date this person is still a member of the PSA...which should never happen,” Davidson said.

“It is only because we have decided to speak out about these issues that we were debarred from going up to the General Council meetings.” He continued, “We are saying this morning that Mr Duke has to go and we are not going to be any pushovers...his time has reached and he has to go!” Davidson said the union belongs to the people and at present, members of PSA have no representation.

He said the PSA’s election is carded for November 25, 2017 and they are advising members to come out and vote Duke out. Efforts by Newsday tor reach Duke for a comment yesterday proved futile.