By Barbara Gayle, Staff ReporterCHIEF JUSTICE Lensley Wolfe has "declared war" on some members of staff at the Supreme Court, downtown Kingston, some employees say. This, they say, followed a meeting yesterday in which he accused them of complaining to The Gleaner about the abrupt manner in which he ended a meeting with staff members two weeks ago.
However, when The Gleaner contacted the Chief Justice yesterday for a comment on the allegation, he said he would comment only if The Gleaner told him the source of its information.
The workers told The Gleaner that about 2 p.m. yesterday they were summoned to a meeting with the Chief Justice who told them that they had made complaints to their "friends" at The Gleaner but "if is war oono want is war oono gwaan get."
According to some members of staff, the Chief Justice did not mince words as he told them that the situation from now on was going to be like "Bush and Saddam" so they had better tow the line.
It was reported yesterday that the Chief Justice called the meeting in a courtroom, shortly after The Gleaner had called him to get a response to the complaint that he had chased members of staff from his office when they complained that they were not being paid for overtime work.
SHOCKED AND UPSET
"I will not be responding unless you disclose the source of your information. Good afternoon," the Chief Justice said, when The Gleaner sought to get a comment from him.
Several members of staff complained to The Gleaner last week of being "shocked and upset" at the manner in which the Chief Justice treated them when they attended a meeting on April 4 to discuss non-payment for overtime work. They said some of them had been working since December last year to update the files in the Civil Registry.
Claims were sent to the Ministry of Justice for overtime payment, but because of uncertainty as to how and when they would be paid, they stopped doing overtime work in February. The overtime work was from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Friday, and from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
They said that at the meeting on April 4, the Chief Justice asked them why they had stopped working before consulting with him. They told him that he was not in office at the time when they took the decision to stop the overtime work.
THREATS OF CUTTING SUPPORT FOR GEAR, TRANSPORT
It was reported that during the meeting some members of staff kept asking about the payment for overtime work. According to the workers, the Chief Justice used insulting words to some of them and at one stage became upset and told them in a very loud manner on more than one occasion to "come out" of his chambers.
"I was shocked when I heard him running us out in that fashion. Some of us did not get up at the time and then the Chief Justice got up, opened the door and ordered us out," a member of staff said. The workers reported also that while chasing them from his office, the Chief Justice said, "Remember a tell oono hard times are ahead, hard times." The workers said the Chief Justice told them that he would not be helping them with any more gear for sports or buses for transportation.
The workers say they are not happy with the "uncalled-for manner" in which the Chief Justice treated them and they are contemplating lodging a complaint to the Jamaica Civil Service Association.
