The National Union of Public Workers has begun investigating reports that customs officers are being quietly penalised if they reject voluntary truth verification, or lie detector, tests—despite assurances the process is not mandatory.
The island’s main public sector trade union has launched an investigation into what it considers subtle threats against customs officers who refuse to take the test.
Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Wayne Walrond said on Wednesday the union has received reports from officers in the Customs and Excise Department who believe they could be penalised for not complying with an exercise that is not mandatory.
“We are investigating . . . we made it clear, that the truth verification test is voluntary. But they did feel the more subtle approach that if you wanted to refuse, then subtly you could be shifted around or hamper your chance of promotion. So, in a subtle way, in a discreet way, there are consequences for not cooperating, which we believe is a subtle threat,” Walrond told Barbados TODAY.
“There are subtle consequences. But I told the workers that it was always made clear that it was voluntary. So, they think that they were threatened,” he added.
But the union leader said he told the officers, once it is according to government policy, no employee can be forced to take the test with the alternative of being transferred or having their job position adversely affected, “which is a threat.”
Walrond disclosed that the union will be meeting with the group of customs officers involved to ascertain the “whole story and the facts surrounding the allegations.”
In June this year, Prime Minister Mia Mottley told a press conference that not only will the test impact public servants, but also private sector individuals.
Mottley has also stated that it is not targeting any particular category of workers, but is for persons who have access to certain secure spaces at the ports.
“And if you have access,” she said, “to certain secure spaces, then we need to ensure that you are acting with the integrity that we need you to act with, such that the rest of the society is not put at risk. We accept, that persons cannot be forced in certain circumstances; and therefore, if they can’t work, they can’t have access to those areas, and may have to be placed in other jobs.”
The prime minister also pointed out that the equipment has been obtained and the appropriate training done to conduct the testing.
Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn could not be reached for comment.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
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