The Public Services Association (PSA) is yet to come to a settlement with one of the four slates contesting its executive elections, who last week obtained an injunction stopping the election.
When the lawsuit filed by members of Team Fixers came up for hearing before Justice Nadia Kangaloo in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday, their attorneys and those for the PSA indicated that they were still locked in negotiations.
The position remained the same when they returned before Kangaloo several hours later, when the parties indicated that they had made some headway but still had some issues to resolve.
They did not reveal any details of the negotiations including whether they had decided on a new date for the election.
Kangaloo adjourned the case to next Thursday, when the parties are expected to report back on their progress.
The courtroom, which is designed for chamber court hearings between a judge and attorneys, was filled beyond capacity for the hearing as the claimants were joined by the members of the other slates contesting the election.
Due to issues of limited, some of the members had a verbal confrontation with Kangaloo’s staff during the initial hearing.
The incident was addressed by Kangaloo before she adjourned the case.
“All I want in this is humility and respect and it would be returned,” Kangaloo said as she warned the PSA members that they were required to comply with her staff’s instructions whilst appearing before her.
In their lawsuit the group is contending that the list of voters is fundamentally flawed due to a decision taken by the union’s general council on October 5, to allow PSA members with union dues arrears to be allowed to vote if they cleared their arrears before the election.
Almost 300 members reportedly made use of the allowance. The PSA has approximately 14,000 members.
The group contends the decision is illegal as the PSA’s constitution only allows members, who are in financial good standing for over a year, to vote.
As a secondary issue, the group is contending that the elections committee acted unfairly as it failed to publish the locations of all polling stations.
In granting the slate an injunction last Friday, Justice Frank Seepersad ruled that the slate had raised a valid claim which had to be determined before the election is allowed to take place.
Incumbent PSA president Watson Duke will continue to hold the post until the lawsuit is settled or determined and the election is allowed to take place.
The group is being represented by Raisa Caesar, while John Heath and Lionel Luckhoo is representing the PSA.