General secretary of the Public Service Association (PSA) Nixon Callender and treasurer Jillian Bedeau-Callender have been suspended for failing to carry out the instructions of the General Council that members may not disclose "any unauthorised information on meetings of the executive and all General Council," president Watson Duke says.
Duke spoke at a news conference on Thursday afternoon at the PSA's headquarters on Abercromby Street.He was responding to Callender's allegations that $2.5 million of the PSA's funds were unaccounted for, which was reported on Thursday.
At the news conference, Duke denied the allegations but when asked by reporters about the association's financial status, he said he would not divulge its financial information. He said, "Even if we have $20 million or $10 million or one cent, that is for us to know and for our enemies to find out. Once our enemies rush in they will be met head-on."
Callender reportedly said there had been a $2.5 million decrease in October last year in the union's bank balances and he had referred the matter to the Fraud Squad. Duke countered Callender's allegations with several of his own, among them that Callender has a temper. Duke showed a document which contained a financial report for October last year and said it contained an explanatory note.
"Under this document there is a statement that is given out to all General Council members for them to keep. In this statement it says a transfer from the Unit Trust account to the current account was cancelled in the sum of $365,080. He says that is an overdraft."It says a new transfer was made in the sum of $500,000. Two other subsequent transfers were made in the sum of $1 million each. That is $2.5 million that was transferred and can be accounted for," Duke said.
He said the association owed nothing on any of its buildings and there was money in the association's account."We are in a good financial position," he said.He added that the union spent money on its television and radio programmes, which he described a successful attempt at bringing representation to living rooms, and had received offers from other media houses.Countering Callender's claim that the association had an overdraft of $367,000, Duke said the association has never had an overdraft facility.