An incident where a female employee of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital was strip searched back in 2022 remains unsolved today.
According to Elroy Boucher, President of the Public Service Union (PSU), the employee said that she is satisfied with an apology and that the Union had referred the matter to its lawyers and have been seeking justice for the woman.
The employee, who up to the time of the incident had been employed at the MCMH for two years, was summoned to a supervisor’s office.
And upon arriving there, she was approached by a female officer who instructed her to remove her clothing.
Despite informing the officer that she was menstruating, she was told that she needed to take off her underwear as well creating a mess and caused the woman to be humiliated.
She was eventually taken to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), but was never charged, and she further contended that during the ordeal, she was not given an explanation as to why the search was being conducted.
But on Tuesday May 28, Boucher explained at a press briefing that although the employee is now a member of the PSU, she was formerly a member of the Commercial, Technical and Allied Workers’ Union (CTAWU) and that although the PSU was seeking redress for the employee, they were being denied.
“We wrote to have the matter addressed, our lawyers even wrote, and Mr Knight (Cuthbert Knights – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health) said under no circumstances will you (PSU) represent her – she must be represented by the CTAWU,” Boucher told members of the media.
So too, he said that a letter was sent to the Health Minister St Clair ‘Jimmy’ Prince who referred the letter to the Attorney General, Grenville Williams, who also responded that the PSU.
But the PSU head maintained that no one, other than the workers themselves had the right to choose trade unions for employees.
According to Boucher, employees had a choice and that he wanted the government to respect the importance of the PSU as the trade union to represent the interests of public servants.
“And to cease from denying workers their rights to be represented,” he said.
It was a common issue withing the service, the PSU head explained, saying that there have been instances where the Service Commissions Board makes a request to meet with workers to address grievances or issues at the workplace, and they will come to the union asking for representation.
But, every time the union go to the meeting, the Board insists that it cannot attend the meeting.