President of the Public Services Association (PSA) Watson Duke is no longer a "comrade" of the national labour fraternity.The statement was made yesterday by president of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) James Lambert in a telephone interview."We can no longer call Watson Duke comrade, he sold out the entire labour movement," Lambert said.He said Duke had now put all trade unions in a "precarious" position by accepting Chief Personnel Officer Stephanie Lewis' five per cent wage increase for public servants at a meeting on Friday.Lambert said Duke's acceptance of the five per cent offer would now make it difficult for all unions to demand a higher percentage.He said, however, that the NUGFW would continue to reject the five per cent increase offered to it's member unions.Lambert claimed Duke was not honest "to the entire labour movement in the matter in which he accepted the increase."
He said the NUGFW came out to support the PSA's protests against the five per cent increase, adding it was Duke who initiated all action against the offer.Lambert said Duke did not even have the "gall" to come forward to the labour leaders who supported him and tell them of his intentions to settle.He said the entire labour fraternity had been left in "awe" when they received word Duke had accepted the offer.Lambert said Duke failed to inform his membership of his decision to settle for the five per cent.He insisted the five per cent increase would do nothing to benefit public servants.He claimed, too, that Duke not only went against the labour fraternity, but also the people he promised to fight for. Reporting by