The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Union of Teachers Secretary General John Musgrove said the suspensions of President Belinda Wilson and treasurer Lorraine Knowles are likely to remain in place in view of issues the union is facing with an appeals committee formed to consider the matter.

Ms Wilson has been suspended for six months while Ms Knowles has been suspended for four months.

A three member appeals committee that was established nearly two weeks ago to decide whether the suspensions should be overturned or upheld missed its Sunday deadline and has failed to respond to the executive committee’s summonses, Mr Musgrove said.

He said he believes the actions of the committee are acts of defiance, adding that the executive committee will meet to decide how to punish the three for allegedly contravening the union’s constitution by failing to respond to the executive committee’s summonses.

“We asked them to come twice by letter and they refuse to come,” he said.

He added: “I wash my hands of the matter now and there’s nothing in the rules that says we have to accept what they did.”

The members of the appeals committee were elected nearly two weeks ago by members of the BUT.

Mr Musgrove said he believes the members of the appeals committee are cronies of Mrs Wilson.

“When we summoned them on Tuesday, they had people there from us they could have interviewed. But they interviewed Belinda when she came and not others and left when she did.

“I sent a letter to them, quoting the constitution which says that they are liable to be sanctioned. Despite this, they never came to meet with us. We cannot support persons who are investigating in breach of the constitution. If the executive committee summons you, you have to come.

“They don’t even know what they were being summoned for. We wanted to see where they were in their deliberations and perhaps give them an extension. But I won’t be writing another letter. The only thing that I will write is their letter concerning punishment.”

When contacted for comment, Acting BUT President Zane Lightbourne said: “We got legal advice to accommodate (the appeals committee) as much as possible but I think they are stepping over their boundaries.”

He added that the executive committee will meet within the next week to determine what to do with the appeals process.

This conflict comes amid the executive committee’s concern that more than $1.1 million from the union’s pension and savings account were wrongfully spent.

Both Mr Musgrove and Mr Lightbourne yesterday dismissed threats of legal action made by lawyers of Ms Wilson and Ms Knowles.

A letter signed by the law firm Bootle-Williams & Company on Tuesday said that the pair were illegally suspended and that the appeals process was prejudiced against them.

The lawyers gave the union an ultimatum, to rescind the suspension by 5pm Tuesday or face legal action.

Reacting to this yesterday, Mr Musgrove said: “We didn’t respond to the letter.”

Mr Lightbourne added that the union does not respond to threats.