Warders' hearings start Friday

INTERDICTED CORRECTIONAL officers are to get a chance to present their case on Friday.

Hearing of the disciplinary charges brought against the prison warders is scheduled to begin at the Offices of the Services Commissions, Citibank building, New Kingston, on Friday morning at 10 o'clock.

Some 800 warders were interdicted -- sent on forced leave -- at quarter salary in January, after they stopped from work to protest against the re-appointment of Lt. Col. John Prescod as Commissioner of Corrections.

The hearing will commence with six of 20 warders from the St. Andrew Juvenile Remand Centre, Stony Hill, who were interdicted.

Asked how he thought the hearing would proceed, attorney-at-law Lenworth Burke, of the firm Phillips, Burke & Morgan, which is representing the warders, told The Gleaner: "Individual charges are preferred and, therefore, each warder has to have a chance to defend himself."

However, Mr. Burke conceded that the process could be lengthy, in terms of dealing with each warder's case, individually. He said the process would have to be discussed between his team and the Public Services Commission which will be handling the hearings. The PSC is headed by Daisy Coke, actuary. Her deputy is Mike Fennell.

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