The BU household has followed Minister Ronald Jones tenure in government with a bemused interest. He was the favoured ‘deputy’ Prime Minister Freundel Stuart turned to until he associated himself with the Eager 11 and was summarily demoted in the pecking order with a Stuart ‘look and feel’ in Richard Sealy his preferred replacement. Controversy after controversy has bedevilled Jones’ tenure with the Alexandra School mess featuring Jeff Broomes and the Combermere School environmental mess the rock on which his legacy will be built when he demits office, soon.
If the traditional media was not the lazy taker of news that it is another embarrassing event playing out at the St. Leonards Secondary School would be newsworthy enough to crowd the airwaves. As is the norm the politicians continue to control the media narrative.
In March of this year the Nation newspaper reported that the St. Leonard’s Board of Management had resigned en masse! An unusual event in any circumstances that warranted a closer examination by ALL stakeholders. The relevant articles (embedded in this blog) suggested the reason for the resignation was because of political interference. Why would the PTA and the citizenry at large not have stridently responded to the revelation by the newspaper? Why would Chairman Ricardo Harrison quietly resign without accepting responsibility to expose the issues in the public’s interest, electing to sweep them under the proverbial rug when he was questioned?
Clearly the previous Board (Ricardo Harrison, Chairman, David Morris, Guyson Mayers, Senator Reginald Hunte, Pearson Bovell, Timothy Small, Cheryl Sinckler and Pastor Winston Harris) resigned in a reaction to being summons to the ministry by Minister Ronald Jones and what transpired therein. It is difficult to understand why the recently appointed Denise White to the post of Secretary Treasurer has been allowed to do as she pleases by forcing the resignation of a ‘whole’’ Board of management. It begs the question what is happening between the sheets! Denise White White is the side piece of who again?
We request the traditional media to use its resources to investigate the following:-
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Why was Denise White, Secretary Treasurer allowed to report the Board to the minister which was actively investigating a grievance concerning the secretary typist at the centre of the dispute?
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On what grounds did the minister of education Ronald Jones admonish the Board if from all reports the Board followed protocol?
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How many individuals has Denise White been allowed to upset at St. Leonards and outside with her garrulous behaviour?
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Why has Denise White been allowed to verbally and physically harass the clerk typist at the centre of the dispute? For example, why must the clerk typist ask Denise White for permission to leave the compound to go to lunch? Is it true the clerk typist was physically assaulted by Denise White -grabbed her phone?
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Who gave Denise White permission to remove the clerk typist from her accustomed place of work and relocated her to another office?
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Did Denise White make the porter park the school vehicle to reduce the gas bill and have him ride a bicycle to the bank to deposit money to the school’s bank account?
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Who gave Denise White the authority to dismiss the clerk typist WITHOUT the full consent of the Board of Management? Is Denise White CLOSE to Minister Ronald Jones?
BU was reliably informed that three members of the previous Board of Management voluntarily was part of the delegation of the two unions (NUPW, BSTU) involved in representing the clerk typist. It is noteworthy the new Board (Claudette Moseley-Clarke Chairman, Faye Lloyd Weekes, PTA rep, Chris Baird, Sylton Blenman …) of management was represented by THREE lawyers at the meeting held at the ministry of education.
The clerk typist is reported to have been employed at the school for three years and Denise White about four months before the ruction started. One has to wonder if there were no unions the extent to which workers would be more victimized. The BU household regards the role of the unions as very important to ensuring that equilibrium is maintained between labour and capital. It serves the agenda of the political class to take pot shots at the figure heads of the major unions in Barbados, McDowall, Redman, Moore, Franklyn. It is often forgotten that many who are members of the political class started their careers as unionists.
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