By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Union of Teachers (BUT) President Belinda Wilson suggested yesterday that executive committee members who opposed her during the last union election are behind her six-month suspension.

Mrs Wilson spoke to reporters outside BUT headquarters, where numerous union members flanked her in support, a day after her suspension took effect.

BUT treasurer Lorraine Knowles has also been suspended for four months.

The official charge against them has not been made public, but several members told The Tribune they believe it concerns the union’s pension fund. 

Mrs Wilson declined to comment on what the suspension has to do with because the matter is internal and should not be in the public domain. “Even if it has to do with the pension, there is no crime committed. If a crime was committed, they should call the police, hey?” she said.

BUT’s executive committee comprises 15 people, six or seven of whom, according to Mrs Wilson, were a part of the team that opposed her during the union’s last election in 2013.

“During the last election, there were actually two teams so you do have persons on the committee who were not a part of the team I would have led and I believe there still may be some underlying issues there.”

Mrs Wilson said although relations among members of the executive committee “have been peaceful,” she was not surprised by her suspension as rumours have been floating around social media for several weeks now.  

She said she will immediately appeal the suspension decision and will send a letter to the secretary general of the union on Monday regarding this. Once school reopens across the country next year, she said, members will be invited to elect an appeals committee of three, who will have 21 days to consider the matter and make a decision on it.

In the meantime she said she will enjoy Christmas and “relax in the comfort of” her home.

“Let me state unequivocally that there was no crime committed,” she said. “We will appeal our suspension and we have to do that within five days and then the power will be left in the hands of the members. Unfortunately, though, this suspension is a major distraction because Ms Knowles and myself are two of the full-time members who run the union on a day-to-day basis.

“Secondly, it’s a distraction because this will negatively impact our members because we’re presently at the negotiation table and Ms Knowles and myself are members of the negotiation team and I am the lead negotiator. We’ve been negotiating for approximately seven months and we have completed and agreed on 90 per cent of our agreement so I’m now awaiting a counter proposal from the government, which is expected as early as next week,” she said.

“What is going to be hindered now is not only the terms and conditions of service for our members but the salaries and the benefits, their money. I want to say today that when the meeting is called, and I’m making a clarion call right now to all the members of the BUT, and especially those in the New Providence district, when the meeting is called in the week of January 15, all of you need to be there. At that meeting there is going to be an election for three persons who will serve as an appeals committee so they can do their investigations and so due process can be done in this matter so I just want to say today to those of you who have been texting, and calling and crying, God is with me and God is with us.”

The appeal committee, according to Mrs Wilson, will gather information relating to her charge and will also be able to interview “persons who are aggrieved and other members” if necessary.

One supporter of Mrs Willson, Vanda Moss, who is a shop steward at CI Gibson High School, told The Tribune she was upset with the way the issue surrounding Mrs Wilson has been handled.

“Let the chips fall where they may. I’m sure our president will be vindicated,” she said.

“My point on all this is if there are charges against the union president, the membership should have been informed before the press or the public so two wrongs does not make a right. I think the decisions to take this public was to smear her name, but it’s not going to work.”