Minister of Justice is a Diplomat, instead sanctioning Prison Director he covered up for him
PHILIPSBURG:--- A number of prison guards working at the Pointe Blanche Prison showed up at the office of their union representatives the Windward Islands Civil Servant Union and Private Sector Union (WICSU/ PSU) on Monday where the union called an emergency meeting and press conference.
General Secretary of WICSU/PSU William Reed told reporters in the presence of his members that the situation at the prison is quite serious especially when it is believed that one of their own colleagues might be the ones that took the two firearms that were found by police into the prison. Reed said the ongoing investigation into how the firearms got into the prison will determine who the culprit or culprits are.
Reed said one would expect the Prison Director Edward Rohan to act responsibly and to take the matter serious enough and call a meeting with his staff to discuss their action plan. "So far the Prison Director did not even speak with his workers about what is taking place at the institution, Rohan is the father of the prison, the prison guards and inmates are his children and he is the one that is fully responsible for them. These workers are victims of the circumstances and they are all traumatized by what transpired these past days. The director should already be seeking counselling for his staff but instead of doing his job he is crying like a baby saying he was threatened because he received a bullet with his name on it. He expects the workers to cry with him but the WICSU/PSU will be crying for its members and not the prison director. The management of the Pointe Blanche Prison has not shown any compassion for the workers but the WICSU/PSU will not allow anything to happen to their members." The Prison facilities cannot be secured if the management team of the prison is a disaster. Reed further explained that he dispatched a letter to the Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson which was copied to the Prison Director. He said he expects to get a response from the Minister by Monday afternoon and if that does not happen then the union will move to plan B. "I want make very clear that the Director of the Prison Edward Rohan will not sweep this matter under the rug like he did with all the other matters. When and if a meeting is held with the Minister of Justice I will inform the director that he needs to do the honorable thing and resign, because it is clear he cannot do the job he has. "I am wondering if Edward Rohan is up to the task of managing a prison because his actions do not say that. What I am seeing is a big man behaving like a child when he has huge responsibilities. The time for the blame game is over and this is what I intend to tell Rohan and the Minister if a meeting is held."
When asked if the WICSU/PSU held any meetings with the prison management, Reed said that he did several times and each time the prison director will make the excuse that too many prison guards are on sick leave. The General Secretary of WISCU/PSU said that Rohan would put four female prison guards and one male to work a shift at a place that houses hard core criminals. "If you have a single mother going to work under these circumstances and is not sure she will return home to her children it is obvious that worker will take sick leave because they are fearful for their lives."
Reed further explained that the people of St. Maarten don't know the seriousness the prison guards face on a day to day basis. "I can tell you when prisoners are released they would meet the guards on the road and threaten their lives. These workers know what they were up to when they took the job as a prison guard but they also expect protection from management of the prison."
