NWU rebukes PICA for suspending workers without due process

The National Workers Union (NWU) has accused the Passport, Immigration Citizenship Agency (PICA) of prolonging an “unethical” practice of suspending a number of employees without disciplinary hearings, calling it “unfair and unjust”.

In a Gleaner interview on Monday, NWU General Secretary Granville Valentine said it is time that the agency brings fairness and transparency to the table, noting that PICA cannot continue to punish workers before hearings.

“No system of justice operates like that. If we are treating our professionals in this manner while paying them meagre wages with very few benefits, and they are doing significant work at our borders, it cannot be,” Valentine asserted, at the same time adding that where a worker has committed a breach, the outlined processes must be followed in arriving at a penalty.

“You can’t treat workers in this manner of secrecy, in silence, in darkness, and they just get a letter. No management can be that powerful. No Government can be that powerful. Nobody can be that powerful. The workers have a right,” he argued.

His comments come days after The Gleaner reported on Saturday that PICA had interdicted an immigration investigator for two years at 50 per cent of his salary without a disciplinary hearing.

The worker had claimed that he was unfairly suspended nine days after reporting that two Italian passports he had in his possession were stolen while he made his way home from work in Toll Gate, Clarendon.

He insisted that he did not breach protocol by having the travel documents outside of the office. They were reportedly confiscated after being fraudulently stamped.

“PICA has been interdicting workers without any interview; without any discussion or hearing,” Valentine said.

He challenged that for an interdiction to stand, there must be a hearing.

The trade unionist noted that where applicable, both the complainant and the accused must be interviewed for a decision to be considered fair.

“The actions that are being taken against workers are punitive measures. You must fully investigate, and if there is a need, then you take action. It cannot be that you suspend me for two years and are still investigating. It is a careless approach,” Valentine argued.

UNION INCENSED

He said that the continued practice has incensed the union.

“While we gave cordial and respectful discussion, what is meted out to these people does not represent that type of discussion that we have at the table. This undue delay about what transpired as it relates to disputes is unfair, unjust and unethical,” he said.

“It is time PICA moves speedily to correct this.”

PICA CEO Andrew Wynter declined to comment on the officer’s case last week, noting that the employee was “facing disciplinary charges”.

Repeated efforts to get a comment from Joan Guy-Walker, PICA’s human resource director, were also unsuccessful.