Richardson files criminal complaint against union leader Thompson on behalf of WIFOL members

GREAT BAY--The co-founder of the Windward Islands Federation of Labour, WIFOL, René Richardson, acting on behalf of members and workers of the Windward Islands Federation of Labour, WIFOL, filed a criminal complaint on Thursday with the Public Prosecutor’s Office against longtime union leader Theophilus Emanuel Thompson, alleging several breaches and possible misappropriations connected to the management, finances, assets, governance and functioning of the association.

According to Richardson, the complaint consists of a three-page formal letter supported by almost 50 pages of substantiating documents. He said the complaint was also signed by members and was filed after approximately one and a half to two years of attempts to have Thompson call meetings, respond to written requests and account to the membership.

Richardson opted not to divulge too much to allow the legal process to take its course, but said the complaint was prepared carefully in keeping with the constitution of the association. The 2013 amended constitution shows that the former Windward Islands Federation of Labour, WIFOL, was amended to carry the name “Workers Institute for Organized Labour Association,” while also stating that the name of the association can be abbreviated as WIFOL.

Richardson said the concerned members want accountability over the association’s legal identity, its representation, its property and its finances.

The constitution also states that the association is established on St. Maarten, that its financial year coincides with the calendar year, and that its funds consist of registration fees, membership dues, other monetary contributions, donations and “all other legally obtained revenues.”

Richardson said members have raised specific questions about WIFOL’s building, which he said the association owns, and where rental income from that building has been going. Members has also stressed that they do not here from Thompson but can only see their fees being deducted from salaries.

Richardson stressed that the criminal complaint was not filed hastily and was not a sudden personal attack against Thompson, who has led the union since the mid-1980s. He said the action came only after repeated efforts to resolve the concerns internally. “This was not done from one day to the next,” Richardson said. “Everything has its day and its time. We have been trying for a year and a half, almost two years.”

A key part of the complaint, according to Richardson, is the alleged failure to convene meetings and account to members. The constitution states that each year, no later than the first working day of June, at least one general meeting of members must be held. That meeting must include a board report on the course of events, affairs, developments and management of the association, as well as financial statements for approval, including at least a balance sheet and a profit and loss account.

Richardson said the last documented meeting known to the concerned members was held in November 2013, approximately 13 years ago. He said that alleged failure to hold meetings, combined with unanswered letters and lack of financial clarity and reports, forms part of the broader concerns now before the Public Prosecutor’s Office. “We wrote Thompson a bunch of letters,” Richardson said. “Every two years you should call a meeting. We asked him to call a meeting. He never responded.”

The constitution also provides that special general meetings can be held as often as the board deems fit and can also be requested by at least 10 ordinary members. If the board neglects to honor such a request within two weeks, the members are entitled to convene the special general meeting themselves. Richardson said members had attempted to move in accordance with the association’s rules, including making written requests, but received no response.

Richardson said the complaint is being filed on behalf of WIFOL members and workers, not as an individual dispute. He said signatures from members and supporting documents form part of the complaint package. “This complaint was filed on behalf of the members of WIFOL,” Richardson said. “It is on behalf of the workers.”

Richardson said the questions before members are not limited to one meeting or one unanswered letter, but to the functioning of the association over many years, including governance, representation, financial accountability and the handling of the association’s assets.

Richardson, who is a co-founder of WIFOL and a lifetime honorary member, said he felt compelled to act because of the legacy of the union and the sacrifices made by past workers to build it. He said WIFOL was founded in 1970 and built through the efforts of workers who contributed to establishing the union’s presence, including its building and other assets. “That is our legacy,” Richardson said. “That is what we built there. I cannot sit by with members coming to me for answers and not do anything after honestly trying for so long.”

He said the matter is now about protecting WIFOL as an association and ensuring that its members, workers, property, rental income and governance are properly respected and represented. At present the WIFOL only represents workers at Oyster Bay Resort, some at KFC and at Holland House, though these could not be completely verified.

Richardson said the supporting documentation was submitted to demonstrate that the complaint is serious and based on records, not merely verbal claims or internal disagreement.

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