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After three decades GPSU still has same leader
…Union has not been audited for 14 years
By Brushell Blackman
The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has known the same President for the last 30 years and that body has not been audited in the last fourteen years. This state of affairs was made known at a picket exercise outside the union headquarters on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive and Regent Street on Friday last.
According to GPSU member Jermaine Hermanstyne, the union is being run like the private property of the GPSU President Patrick Yarde. Hermanstyne said that Yarde has been president of that union since 1987 and no one seems to be able to unseat him, based on an election process that he branded as ‘suspect’.
Hermanstyne also said that the union has not done an audit of its financial affairs since 2003; something that is in direct contravention of the union policies. “The rule is, an audit should be done regularly and should be presented to its members at a biannual delegates conference”.
GPSU President Patrick Yarde
When clarity was sought as to why such events are allowed to continue, Hermanstyne alleged that the makeup of the executive council has played a pivotal role in Yarde being president for so long. He said that the council is made up of 60 percent of retired individuals that are emotionally attached to Yarde.
Added to that he said that these retirees have no constituencies that they represent, hence they are not advocating the views of anyone.
Hermanstyne alleges he was forced out of the union because he has been outspoken about the union’s shortcomings.
Hermanstyne who was a former executive member and employee of the union is now employed in the public service in a different area.
He said he paid his union dues by hand to the GPSU accounts department and upon his second attempt to pay the same fees, Yarde instructed staff in that department to refuse his contribution. Hermanstyne said that this is a clear violation of his rights and the fact that he works in the public sector qualifies him to be a member of the GPSU.
Another individual in the picket line said that the president’s salary is almost $1M a month and at 72 years old it’s time that he relinquish the presidency and allow someone else with fresh ideas to take up that responsibility.
According to the member, in 2005, Yarde said he was going to lead the GPSU for one additional year and then step down.
Members picket outside the GPUS headquarters on Friday
Another member, Karen Vansluytman-Corbin, said that she has also suffered at the hands of Yarde who she challenged for the presidency in 2005. The woman said that her attempts to unseat Yarde resulted in her union dues being rejected by the GPSU as well and she was told that she needed to pay a fine of $15,000 for an alleged misconduct which to this day she does not know what the misconduct is. Corbin said that she suspects that all of this is because she attempted to stand up to Yarde.
The picketers are calling on all members to speak out and challenge the elections process of the GPSU. Further she said that this picket is the first in many planned to highlight the plight that the GPSU is being confronted with.
All efforts to contact Patrick Yarde were unsuccessful.
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