Email

Print

Penner has admitted in an email to 7News that these officers only followed his instructions, and social agitators are outraged that these officers are being recommended for the maximum penalty while Penner is still an area representative with all the perks of his high office. The Public Service Union, the organization who has to defend the officers, commented today, and it's executive addressed the allegations that they've been soft in its representations. Here's what they told our colleagues at Plus TV News:

Ray Davis - Industrial Relations Officer, PSU
"The procedure is that at this point the Ministry of the Public Service through the Public Service Commission looks at all the information and then a determination is going to be made at a hearing. At that hearing the member have the opportunity to go explain to the commission their side of the story and having heard the explanations from the members, from the officers, the Public Service Commission then makes a determination."

"If the union is dissatisfied with that determination, then we have the other recourse which is the Belize Advisory Council which is a completely separate body from the Public Services' Commission. As far as the public officers are concern the process for them to be heard and for them to exculpate themselves is already established and that is something that we continue to follow acidulously."

"We have all confidence that the officers involved once they explain their situation the truth will come to light and that's where we deal with what the truth is. We are not really caught up with the help that is surrounding the whole issue because this is a very big media hype with regards to the issue of Mr. Penner and our 3 officers are caught up in that whole parade out there."

According to the PSU, the officers have been on discipline for more than 90 days with half pay, which according to the regulations is unlawful.