A High Court judge yesterday made a passionate appeal to embattled executive members of the Public Services Association (PSA) to forgo lengthy and costly litigation in the interest of the members of the association."Good sense can and ought to prevail," Justice Frank Seepersad told the parties involved during a hearing in the Port-of-Spain High Court, in which some of the dissenting members were seeking an extention of an injunction issued by Seepersad last month.
In the injunction, which was granted on January 30, Seepersad ordered that the members not be barred from attending meetings of the union's general council and executive. The injunction also restrained the union from withholding the salaries and allowances of the members and restricted the union's general council from determining allegations of misconduct levelled against the members by president Watson Duke.
The members included Rosanna Robinson, Ricky Cedeno, Rendy Bedasie, Michael Rattan, Premnath Ramkaran, Oral Saunders, Demetrius Harrison and Raymond Butler.Noting the union is scheduled to have its executive election in November, Seepersad said the members should ensure their term in office is not remembered only for the series of litigation between the two rival factions.
"You have a great responsibility by being elected, serve the people who elected you," he said.During yesterday's hearing, the dissenting members' attorney, Samuel Saunders, said his clients were considering initiating contempt of court proceedings against Duke for allegedly breaching Seepersad's injunction. After hearing Seepersad's plea, Saunders agreed to forgo the proceedings once the injunction is not breached in the future.
Last year, Justice Joan Charles ruled the suspensions of seven of the members was illegal and contravened the PSA's constitution. They were reinstated to their posts with immediate effect. The members were first suspended between 2010 and 2011.On January 17, this year, five of the dissenting group who were reinstated by Charles' judgment were again suspended for alleged misconduct and indiscipline. Their second suspension led them to seek the injunction from Seepersad at the end of last month.