PSU President denies storming Government Printery

President of the Public Service Union (PSU), Elroy Boucher, has refuted claims that he stormed the government printery after turning up late for a meeting there last week.

The allegation against Boucher was made by acting Prime Minister, Montgomery Daniel on NBC Radio on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. He spoke then of an incident which took place at the Campden Park printery on Thursday May 16, 2024.

According to Minister Daniel, there was a meeting scheduled for that date with the PSU between noon to 1:00 p.m.

The acting Prime Minister said Boucher “stormed the government printery” after turning up late for the meeting.

Daniel further claimed that instead of apologizing for his late arrival, Boucher “went onto the compound and into the building and disrupted work at the printery”.

Boucher however, denied the claims to SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday May 22, 2024.

“We didn’t storm the printery, we went and we had a wonderful meeting with the staff,” the recently re-elected president of the Public Service Union said.

“There was nothing adversarial, everything was with the workers.” Boucher said further that for over two years, the union has been prevented from meeting with workers at the printery.

He said the meeting was necessary to discuss “matters related to their interest and the interest of the country.”

Boucher added that for the last two years or so, the PSU has been informing workers in the public service about National Insurance Service (NIS) pension reform measures.

“The printery is the only place that we have not been able to have such a meeting,” Boucher pointed out. He added that workers at the printery “were never given the opportunity to hear the issues regarding pension reform” and how they will be affected.

He said the union had taken a decision that they were no longer going to ask for a meeting at the printery.

Instead, they decided to let the authorities know that “as an industrial action, that we will be having a meeting at the printery at a time and date that the workers choose”.

As a result of this “the union wrote the Government Printer, indicating that we will be having a meeting”.

He said in response to their letter, the printer said the meeting could be held at 12.30 p.m.

Boucher also said that on the same day of the meeting, the union had a meeting with officials from the NIS.

“There was no way that we could have been at the printery for 12.30 because we did not set a meeting for 12.30.”

The union president admitted to showing up at the venue around 1:30 p.m.

He recounted going into the building and having a meeting with workers, which lasted for about “an hour or so”.

Boucher said the PSU represents about 90 per cent of workers at the Government Printery.