BP is following the UNLAWFUL ARREST OF MINISTRY OF EDUCATION STAFF – WHERE IS THE DUE PROCESS FOR GOVERNMENT WORKERS?
NASSAU| Staff of the Ministry of Education, in adherence to the rules and regulations outlined in Public Service general orders, have engaged in overtime work as needed or mandated by virtue of their job description.
An estimated 100 of these public service officers, varying in rank, have been told by the Ministry of Education to report to the Central Detective Unit for questioning.
Staff is being told of their visit to CDU only minutes before their required time and therefore are not allowed time to seek legal counsel or union representation.
The MOE staff is being told that their visit to CDU is only a routine formality to answer a few questions concerning overtime or honorariums.
Staff, however, discovered that once they report to CDU, they are immediately placed under arrest, questioned and then released.
This situation is startling to staff who have not been notified, according to general orders, verbally or in writing of any questions of misconduct regarding their over time.
The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the RBPF, has therefore used an exercise of mass arrest to investigate overtime and honorariums.
Public servants support any investigation but feel that the gathering of information should not involve the automatic arrest of up to 100 public servants.
They want to know who conducted the investigation.
Why weren’t they notified verbally or in writing?
Why do they have to be arrested to validate or verify their overtime? What happened to internal Human Resource Investigations?
Why weren’t they given time to secure legal counsel and union representation?
Why didn’t MOE officials question them on overtime hours before having their names submitted to police?
Where is due process?
Morale is at an all time low as persons who have worked and provided valuable and needed service through overtime are being treated like common criminals.
The situation of being arrested and being threatened to be arrested and staff character and integrity being attacked has left staff in emotional and mental turmoil.
MOE staff is demanding that the Ministry of Education adhere to the protocol established by the Dept. Of Public Service and cease this illegal and demeaning course of action.
The union must step up their game!
We report yinner decide!
