TODAY’S ELECTION of officers to serve on the executive committee of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) appears likely to be one of the most acrimonious in the union’s recent history.
Manasseh King, Clifton Forde and Danny Gill are challenging incumbent president Walter Maloney, and there has been circulation of written accusations and cellular phone records in the public domain suggesting at least ten reasons why he should not be returned.
But yesterday, Maloney told the MIDWEEK NATION though he was seeking re-election, he would not descend into the realm of sleaze or mud-slinging, or attempt to undermine the integrity of the union or any of its members to achieve any personal aim.
Maloney said he was seeking a fourth term as “eight years only seems long” but it was insufficient time to do everything he wanted to do.
Among the allegations being made against him is running up a $6 000 cellular phone bill for July and August 2010 which the NUPW has to pay, and failure to implement a buying club for members which was promised about five years ago.
Maloney explained he had been overseas for an extended period last year and the phone bill included numerous calls with members about NUPW business, as well as personal calls. He said he had already indicated he had no objection to paying for the latter calls and it was simply a matter of separating the two charges. He stressed it was not a contentious issue.
King, however, said yesterday that Maloney had to go.“The whole executive has defected. These are people who have run with him for six years who now find they cannot work with him. This means they don’t have confidence in him,” he said in a telephone interview.
“We need to reform the NUPW,” King said, “we cannot continue the same way. The union was formed in 1944, but the rules and standing orders have not changed; so it is necessary to revisit them in order to delineate the powers of the president and general secretary and ensure the recent problems between the president and the executive will be a thing of the past.”
Forde said he offered strong leadership and would ensure that projects and programmes were done in a professional and timely manner. He added it was “time for change”.
Gill could not be contacted.
