…as court discharges injunction

The Injunction that was granted to prevent the Guyana Public Service Union from proceeding with elections was discharged on Tuesday, the union said in a release.

Justice Nareshwar Harnanan on Thursday 20th April, 2017 had granted a temporary injunction blocking the elections after a motion was filed by Mr. Gregory Gaspar of the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission.
Gaspar was represented by Attorney at Law Mr. Nigel Hughes.

The Judge after hearing submissions by the Union’s Attorney-at-Law, Mr. Roysdale Forde and relying on evidence adduced by the Union which revealed that the allegations by Mr. Gaspar of the Union’s non-compliance with the Union’s rules and its obligations under the Trade Union’s Act were erroneous and misconceived, GPSU said.

The Union’s attorney submissions included evidence that Annual Returns to the Registrar of Trade Unions which had Income and Expenditure Statements and Balance Sheets for the entire period up to 31st December 2016. Also presented was a statement from the Auditor General confirming that the Audit of the Union’s accounts up to 2005 and that Income and Expenditure Statements and Balance Sheets up to 31st December 2016 were in his possession. The GPSU said both Gaspar and Jermain Hermanstyne were fully aware of these facts “but deliberately set out to publicly misrepresent them for personal and petty reasons.”

“The Elections Officer has been advised that the Union is now free to proceed with the Elections. The Elections Officer and supporting personnel are working assiduously to hold the Elections on Thursday 27th April, 2017. The General Secretary has issued a Circular calling on all members that notwithstanding the obvious inconvenience caused to make every effort to discharge their civic responsibilities towards the Union and meaningfully participate in the upcoming Elections.”

The court had ordered that “an election for the union’s executive council will not be held until the third day of May, 2017, or sooner, on the production by the respondents of the Auditor General’s report to the applicant and members of the GPSU and the audited Treasurer’s report for the GPSU for the past 12 years to date.”
Gaspar’s action also had called for the appointment of an Interim Management Committee to function in the absence of the council.

The interim body was expected to be tasked with the preparation and presentation of the Treasurer’s report for 2004-2017 at the biennial conference.
Action taken against the GPSU came amidst calls for long-standing GPSU President, Patrick Yarde, to step aside and allow fresh faces to run that trade union organisation. Yarde has been at the helm of the GPSU for decades, and challenges to his presidency by younger members have not been successful over the years.

For days, members of the union gathered outside of its Shiv Chanderpaul Drive headquarters voicing their dissatisfaction with Yarde’s leadership.
One of the protestors, Jermaine Hermanstine, had explained that the leadership of the GPSU has not been changed for approximately 30 years. They are of the view that Yarde is too ‘comfortable’ in his seat as President.