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The fate of suspended Chief Executive Officer of the Social Security Board, Merlene Bailey-Martinez and Internal Auditor, Denise Mahler has drawn major controversy. And while the board of directors wants Bailey to be dismissed, the Chair Louise Young has opposing feelings. After a meeting on Tuesday with Bailey, CTV3 News understands that managers were persuaded to advise staff members to sign a petition advocating that Bailey be retained. While some staff members have signed the petition in fear of losing their job, others are strongly resisting.

Today, the Christian Workers Union fired off a press release in which it expresses its utmost dismay and dissatisfaction with the maneuvering of managers and other entities coercing their members to sign the petition. The President of Christian Worker’s Union, Antonio Gonzalez, says that the union has no problem when it comes to Bailey’s dismissal.

Antonio Gonzalez President Christian Worker's Union

“What is most disturbing is that they lied that the Christian Workers Union was a part of this process and this categorically denied that we don’t have no association with the dissemination of this document we have done believe that the dismissal of the C.E.O and the other officer was done through the board of directors, that’s a management level situation and if that is true then it should dismissed, what we are also saying is that we are very disturb that they are using that our union is supportive of this measure and we totally disassociate our self from this process we don’t know of any letter, we have receive a copy of it from one of our members and we strongly believe that the process is there, the board of directors say they want to dismiss the CEO well go ahead and do it make it be done.”

After learning that the staff members were being coerced into signing the petition, CWU wrote a letter to the acting CEO of the Social Security Board demanding that it be stop immediately and advised its members not to sign the petition and report the matter to the union.

Antonio Gonzalez President Christian Worker's Union

“We have called on our members to decease from signing this letter, petition or whatever because we want to be involved in whatever the board has made a decision if that is true, dismiss the CEO let them go through, we have many members who have walked through that institution door with lesser offenses, termination, dismissal even thought the Union try to compromise with management and certain level, they try to have the people not being terminated or dismissed they stick to their position, so if the board of directors want to dismiss the CEO stick to the position now they want to incorporate a process whereby our member should join them to say well ok, we want the CEO back and we want the internal officer back we are not prepared to do that we have called our members to decease from signing such a document we have written the acting CEO to decease from inferring into the affairs of the union by cohering and intimidating our member to sign this document so we are strong on this matter and we intend to perceive on this if necessary.”

According to Gonzalez, reports are reaching the union that SSB workers in Corozal and San Ignacio are also being forced into signing the petition.

Antonio Gonzalez President Christian Worker's Union

“My understanding is that the branch manager in Corozal has coheres and intimidated our people to sign the document in Corozal and San Ignacio, in certain terms we have address this to the letter up to the acting CEO, do not continue to intimidate our members in signing this, this is something outside our scope,  it is not something that the Union can do it, when we try to negotiate on things like that they don’t know with salaries and benefits, they don’t know but oh the board has decide this, well make the board decide now to let go the CEO well let it go through we don’t have a problem with that, that’s the board decision it is not us who decide on that it is not the Union, well it can blame the Union for that so it is the board’s decision well let it go through.”

CEO Merlene Bailey-Martinez and Internal Auditor Denise Mahler were suspended last month after allegations surfaced that both Bailey and Martinez used privilege information to persuade staff to amend their loans in order to benefit from the government write off housing program. An immediate investigation was carried out by the Panel Kerr Foster accounting firm but the report hasn’t been made public as yet.

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