As the Bahamas Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) leadership remains in limbo, talks have surfaced of elections being held again on June 26 to determine who the new president will be. However, incumbent Pat Bain declared yesterday that there has been no official confirmation by the executive body that there will or will not be a run-off between the parties involved.
The whole situation stems from a recount of ballots after the May 26 elections that revealed a tie between Mr. Bain and Roy Colebroke. According to official results, Bain and Colebroke both have 1,043 votes.
Speaking on the matter from Switzerland, where he was attending the 95th annual ILO (International Labour Organisation) Labour Con-ference, Immigration and (From Page 1)
Labour Minister Shane Gibson said the tie was not only a unique situation for the union’s elections, it is also something that is not addressed in the present law.
“And there is no subscribed time for them to hold new elections (in a tie). The law is silent on it,” Minister Gibson said.
“So we met with their lawyers and we advised them that they should have it within two weeks, since it’s so critical” he explained. “And they have indicated that they would pass the information on to their executive board who will meet this week.”
Minister Gibson noted that the Department of Labour will not get involved in setting the date for the run-offs. He added that the only time Labour would get involved is if a date is not set.
In an exclusive interview with The Freeport News yesterday, Mr. Bain said a number of options are being considered by the union going forward, including the possibility of having new elections.
“Nobody can give us a 14-day deadline, that has to be a matter agreed between the parties involved,” he said. “They cannot plan without the contestants as the contestants have to agree on a date where all the other things can be put in place such as the preparation of ballots and making sure that the voters’ list is prepared properly. So it cannot be a matter of 14 days because that is entirely impossible.”
Mr. Bain said the Registrar for Trade Unions as provided for in the Industrial Relations Act, is the one who supervises the elections and if the union fails to call elections within a reasonable time, then the Registrar will ensure the name and date for the election polls to be taken.
“This is not a matter for the union to set a date,” he said. “This is a matter for the two individuals who have the problem to agree on a date so that both parties can move forward as to what will take place in respect to the ballot, respect to the voters list, how the polling stations will be set up and who will man the polling stations. You cannot do that in two weeks.”
Mr. Bain said he and Mr. Colebroke have had initial talks on the way forward. He added that they will continue to have such talks until they get some resolution.
Addressing rumours that Team Justice members may attempt to have him resign if he is re-elected, Mr. Bain said: “If they read the Constitution, it says the administration of the organisation lies in the hands of the secretary general and the president.
“If Team Justice believe that they will be able to make it difficult or seek for my resignation should I recapture the position, then they are labouring under false impressions. Further to that, the ability of any president that will sit and work with individuals is paramount because the organization must still go forward. At the end of the day, the general membership are the ones who control the organisation. So if there is any particular problem, then we just have a special call general meeting and put it before the members to decide.”
However, according to newly elected second vice-president Lionel Morley, in the absence of a president, the first, second and third vice-presidents – as stated in the Constitution – will assume responsibility of the presidency.
“The members are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to send the message very clear, and that is we believe the time has arrived for the generational gap of who leads and when has come to an end,” Mr. Morley said. “We are going to have Roy Colebroke as the new president who will usher in a new era and win the respect of the members and the wider community.”
When asked how he would feel if Mr. Bain recaptures his position as president, Mr. Morley said he is remaining optimistic that Mr. Colebroke wins.
“Personally, I don’t even see him entering the race because a date has to be set,” he said. “He is going to be faced with 10 Justice Team members who will put their positions on the table and insist that the will of the members are carried out. There can only be one leader at a time and Pat Bain has already had his day.”
By LISA S. KING, Freeport News Asst. Editor
