The Martlet

A UVic Student Society board member accused an Access UVic board rep of leaking information to union members — info that had been discussed in confidential board meetings and e-mails, including the bargaining strategy they intended to use in negotiations over the wage dispute.

A motion put forward by Director-at-Large Dylan Hardie asked that Rebecca Robb be censured by the board for her actions, as well as be excluded from all further in-camera (confidential) board meetings involving collective agreement negotiations.

“José Barrios, a recent union representative, has made it known that board e-mails, information from in-camera sessions and other confidential information has been passed along to his person by a member of the board of directors, and from him to other union members, representatives and negotiators,” Hardie wrote in his motion.

But at the board meeting Barrios denied he had ever known confidential information. Acting Union President Micheal Ryan affirmed Barrios’ claim.

Hardie said Robb had been acting in contravention of some of her other elected responsibilities by writing defamatory remarks about Hardie in mass e-mails and not volunteering for any events, or otherwise helping any of the executive directors for the past month.

“It’s her cumulative irresponsibility that I think deserves censure,” Hardie told the board. Censure is an official disapproval for a board member’s actions, which would be noted in the minutes.

The board voted to table Hardie’s motion until the next board meeting, after Robb said she had the flu and would leave before the meeting’s in-camera session.

She said a learning disability prevented her from fully understanding the motion. Because it was a late addition to the meeting’s agenda, she said she didn’t have time to read it through, thus limiting her ability to defend herself.

Tabling the motion would give her time to prepare her defense.

Robb and the other Access UVic member on the board, Director-at-Large Erin Lacharity, have repeatedly told the UVSS in their directors’ reports that they support the SUB strikers and express embarrassment of being on a board that they feel doesn’t support the workers.

Because of her known stance on the issue, Robb said the motion’s intent is to “make me into a scapegoat and treat me like a lesser person.”

Robb also said she has not helped the executives because she does not wish to cross pickets, and her office is in the SUB.

Director-at-Large Richard Park said that the union knowing their negotiating strategy is hindering the employer’s ability to settle the wage dispute that keeps the SUB behind pickets.

“It’s really detrimental to our society that somebody has been leaking information; whoever it is,” Park said.

Martlet Clarification:

The Martlet wishes to clarify that the accusations made by Dylan Hardie against Rebecca Robb, as reported in the Oct. 9, 2008 issue, were allegations and were not supported by any evidence of wrongdoing by Robb.