By A Concerned Teacher
The SVGTU has, for the most part, projected itself to be an advocate and ambassador for transparency on a plethora of fundamental issues. Consequently, one would expect said Union to exemplify the transparency that it so vehemently advocates for. Furthermore, one would be lead to believe that an exercise to elect the Union’s executive for the 2018-2020 biennium would serve as a platform for the Union to essentially practice what it so often preaches.
Unfortunately, while the election has produced an Executive, it has FAILED miserably in producing the aforementioned transparency that the Union continually advocates for. Listed below are but a few questions that have arisen from the election exercise that speak to the issue of transparency:
(N.B.: These questions are solely meant examine issues relating to transparency! They are NOT meant to question the integrity of the election!)
- Were all eligible members afforded the opportunity to vote in the election?
- Were the ballots counted in the presence of the candidates or their representatives?
- If so, were all candidates notified in a timely manner of the existence of count and the scheduled venue?
- Was a recount carried out to reconcile the initial count?
- Were the final vote counts per candidate released?
- If not, when will they be?
- Were the vote counts by Branch/Institution released?
- If not, when will they be?
- Did members of the current executive that contested the election use their privileged access to the Union’s mailing list for campaign purposes?
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It is time to move on! Elections will be held next year, so the question becomes: Has the NDP developed a working strategy to avoid and correct the alleged malfeasance outlined; iits claim for coming up short? So much time has been spent seeking to overturn the results of the last cycle, that one has yet to hear a coherent rationale for removing the ULP from government.
It is this writer’s opinion that the NDP was ‘out gamed’ by the ULP in the last cycle; the AIA used as tool of national pride, but the NDP failed to challenge [in a manner that the average person would understand]the true impact on the economy -in the short term.
It is all about messaging; a call that people can rally around with pride as Vincentians. So,is the NDP going to be caught flat footed again?
You do realize this article is about the Teacher’s Union elections right?
nice news name David
Keep in mind that in 2004 the teachers were given a new contract and Dr Ralph E Gonsalves [DREGs] told the teachers publicly it was the best contract they ever had.
Later when several teachers tried to enforce a section of the contract DREGs told them the contract was unenforceable because it was unconstitutional. He further said he knew when signed it that it was unenforceable because it was unconstitutional. So why did he lie to the teachers when he told them it was the best contract they had ever had?
DREGs told the nation whilst in parliament that he sometimes tells lies, I suppose it follows that he also writes untruths as well.
The Union supports DREGs and they should not because of what he did to the teachers in this matter.