Dear Editor,

I refer to the article headlined “Union leaders trade jabs over unity” which appears in SN, Friday January 12th 2007, and would like to direct a few questions to Mr. Grantley Culbard, of the CCWU.

1. The GTUC through Mr. Lincoln Lewis is saying that you were part of a committee to return GPSU, NAACIE and GAWU to GTUC. In your response you have only cited the committee’s responsibility to return GAWU and NAACIE to GTUC. Please clarify.

2. GTUC is saying that as part of the unity committee (if I can so call it) you have not submitted any report to the effect even after 5 years. You rebutted by saying that you were not the leader of the committee, the committee never met and therefore could not submit a report. Can you advise who was the leader of the committee? Can you also say why the committee never met and why as a leader charged with a responsibility, even though in part, you have not submitted a report to the GTUC expressing your concerns about the committee not meeting? Could you have played a role in ensuring that the committee met? If yes, why didn’t you? If no, why not?

3. Can you confirm or debunk GTUC’s statement which said you went behind GTUC’s nominee Mr. Andrew Garnett’s back and colluded with the government to be labour’s representative at the 2004 International Labour Organisation Conference, which caused Mr. Garnett not to attend? What influenced your decision and what are your thoughts today?

I would appreciate your responses Mr. Culbard to the questions raised above.

In concluding I do agree with the views that the GTUC can do more. I also believe that the recent infighting, political grandstanding and government’s withdrawal of the subvention have hurt the federation and the union movement as a whole. Nonetheless, I trust the GTUC can see these setbacks as challenges and rise above them.

Yours faithfully,

Elvira Johnson