The People’s Union wishes to address Prime Minister Gaston Browne regarding comments made during the “Browne and Browne Show” on Saturday, 15th, August 2026, concerning the employees and operations of the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP).

Firstly, the Prime Minister and Edward Croft are both LIARS!

The People’s Union does not make that statement lightly. It is based on the glaring contradictions between what has been represented publicly and the facts surrounding the ONDCP employees’ long-standing health, safety and working-condition concerns.

The ONDCP matter has spanned more than eight years, but in August 2025, Dr. Linroy Christian was again asked to assess the conditions of the ONDCP building. During his assessment, a number of concerns were identified and categorized as immediate and long- term concerns. These included mould, air quality, ventilation and moisture within the building.

At the time of the assessment, management failed to advise Dr. Christian that employees had already complained of respiratory problems, fatigue and skin rashes associated with the workplace environment.

In September 2025, employees sought the assistance of The People’s Union to address their health and safety concerns. The Union and employees subsequently met with Dr. Christian, during which he became aware of the adverse reactions being experienced by employees.

Dr. Christian prudently introduced a form through which employees could document the symptoms and effects they were experiencing.

It must also be remembered that the Attorney General, Hon. Sir. Steadroy Benjamin, had agreed to a reduced working-hour arrangement in recognition of the conditions affecting the building.

By February 2026, after repeated attempts to obtain an update from Director Edward Croft failed, the employees took industrial action and downed tools. It was at that point that the ONDCP Director engaged the Union in discussions.

On 12 February 2026, a meeting was held in the presence of the Deputy Labour Commissioner. Given the length of employees’ exposure to the working environment, agreement was reached that employees should undergo medical testing. He also recognised ILO Convention 155, Article 13 that Antigua and Barbuda is a signatory to.

It was due to the reluctance of Director Croft, that Permanent Secretary Edson Joseph got involved in the matter and thereafter, numerous meetings were held involving the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Edson Joseph, the Director of the ONDCP, members of ONDCP management and The People’s Union.

Once again, Dr. Christian was called in to assess the building. His assessment revealed that the outstanding and incomplete works had deteriorated further, with mould reportedly found growing underneath chairs and desks. To make matters worse, a rat infestation had also emerged, adding another serious health and safety concern to an already unacceptable working environment.

The parties agreed that the building was to be fully remediated and that the outstanding works were to be completed. It was further agreed that Dr. Christian would provide an assessment following completion of the works and that employees would undergo medical testing, including allergy testing associated with possible mould exposure.

Because of the extent of the work required, employees remained away from the building until it was considered safe for them to return.

During that period, the Union and employees agreed to a work-from-home arrangement. Director Edward Croft indicated that accommodating such an arrangement would be difficult and maintained that the preferred solution was to have the building properly remediated.

Despite the circumstances, some employees continued providing services to the ONDCP. In April 2026, the Attorney General and those acting on behalf of the Government sought to designate the ONDCP as an Essential Service. The Union viewed this move as a direct attempt to restrict the employees’ ability to take lawful industrial action and, ultimately, to silence their legitimate concerns and force them back into the workplace.

The People’s Union and the affected employees were not intimidated by this development. We saw it for what is was and considered it to be a weak and unnecessary attempt to undermine the workers’ position rather than address the substantive health and safety concerns that had brought the matter to this point.

The Union remained focused on the real issue: ensuring that the health, safety and rights of the ONDCP employees were properly addressed.

Management employees were also reportedly advised that if they removed themselves from the building, they would be required to report to the Prime Minister’s Office and work the full eight-hour day. These employees had also raised concerns about the building conditions but continued working despite what they perceived as threats.

The Union subsequently became aware of a report prepared by the Ministry of Works which appeared to indicate that the necessary renovations had been completed.

That representation was questionable.

The renovations were not, in fact, fully completed until July 2026. Even thereafter, employees and the Union observed outstanding concerns, including visible leaks, musky smells within the building and unfinished work.

Therefore, for the Prime Minister to base public comments on a report that does not accurately reflect the condition of the building is reckless and irresponsible.

The Prime Minister should have fact-checked the information before going on national radio and making statements concerning employees who have been dealing with these conditions for years.

The Union will not allow the workers’ legitimate concerns to be dismissed because someone has produced a report that does not correspond with the reality on the ground.

MEDICAL TESTING

The medical testing process was agreed to be conducted in three phases.

Employees nevertheless returned to the workplace in good faith, with the understanding that the agreed testing process would continue and be completed by 31 July 2026. And until then employees would work from 8am-12pm.

That good faith should not now be used against them.

The Union has never agreed that employees would simply return to normal working conditions while outstanding medical testing remained incomplete. Nor has the Union agreed that the concerns raised by employees have somehow disappeared.

The central issue remains the health and safety of the employees.

The Union therefore finds it extremely disturbing that the Prime Minister would publicly characterize the situation in a manner that appears to disregard the history of the matter, the meetings held with the Labour Department and the CMO and her team, the medical assessments, the agreed testing process and the concerns repeatedly raised by employees.

This is not a political game.

These are workers who have spent years reporting concerns about the environment in which they were required to work to Dir. Edward Croft who made the intentional choice to ignore and refuse for the most part to address these issues appropriately.

The Prime Minister misled the people of Antigua and Barbuda when he stated publicly that the ONDCP employees had been fully medically tested, including mould-related testing.

That statement is simply not true.

The medical testing process has not been completed. In fact, the Union is still awaiting coordination between the Director of the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre and the Office of the Permanent Secretary to determine when the final round of testing will be conducted.

This is not a matter of interpretation. The final phase of the agreed medical testing remains outstanding.

Had the Prime Minister taken the time to properly fact-check the information provided to him before making his public statements, he would have known this. Instead, he relied on false and inaccurate information provided by Dir. Edward Croft that does not reflect the actual status of the employees’ medical testing.

The Union therefore calls on the Prime Minister to correct the record and provide the people of Antigua and Barbuda with the truth regarding the status of the ONDCP employees’ medical testing.

Workers’ health is not a matter to be manipulated for public relations purposes. The employees know the truth, and the people of this country deserve accurate information from their Prime Minister.

Further, the Prime Minister also misled the public when he stated that the employees’ medical tests indicated that they had been cleared.

The obvious question is: How does the Prime Minister know this?

The employees themselves are in possession of some of their medical results, and in some cases, results have not yet been issued. The final phase of the agreed medical testing has also not been completed to date.

So on what basis, is the Prime Minister declaring publicly that the employees have been medically cleared?

Who provided him with this information? Was he provided with medical reports that the employees themselves have not received? And if so, by whom and under what authority?

These are serious questions that require answers.

The Union is particularly concerned that statements concerning the confidential health and medical status of individual employees are being made publicly when the employees themselves have not received all of their results.

The Prime Minister cannot reasonably declare employees medically cleared when the testing process remains incomplete and the employees are still awaiting outstanding results.

Again, had the Prime Minister undertaken the basic duty of fact-checking before going on national television and making these claims, he would have discovered that the information presented to him does not accurately reflect the current situation.

It is also important to note, that the at no time whatsoever has the Prime Minister ever engaged the affected workers of the ONDCP, visited the ONDCP, met with the permanent Secretary of his own Ministry trying to resolve the matter, or engaged The People’s Union on this matter. Yet he has chosen to speak publicly as though he has firsthand knowledge of the situation.

As such the Prime Minister has no authority to declare the workers medically cleared or dismiss their concerns as irrelevant and make threats until he has taken the time to establish the facts for himself.

If he genuinely had the workers interests at heart, then he would have met with them, visited their workplace, spoken to their representatives and gotten the facts before making inaccurate public statements.

The Union therefore demands clarity on the source of the information provided to the Prime Minister and the basis upon which he publicly declared the employees medically cleared.

The health and medical status of workers is far too serious to be reduced to political talking points.

The People’s Union will not sit quietly while the truth is distorted.

We challenge the Prime Minister and the ONDCP Director to produce the evidence upon which their public statements are based.

Produce the reports. Produce the agreements.

Produce the medical testing records.

Produce the evidence demonstrating that all agreed works were completed when represented.

Produce the evidence demonstrating that all agreed medical testing has been completed. And, most importantly, explain why employees who have consistently raised legitimate concerns should now be portrayed as the problem.

The People’s Union stands firmly with the ONDCP employees.

We will continue to demand that their health, safety, dignity and rights be respected.

No employee should have to choose between protecting their health and protecting their livelihood.

The Union remains prepared to engage with the Government and the ONDCP to resolve this matter. However, we will not accept misinformation, intimidation, misrepresentation or attempts to rewrite the history of this matter.

The workers deserve better. The facts deserve to be told.

Finally, the workers will NOT return to full hours until the final stage of medical testing is completed and a proper report is issued by the CMO, Mr. LIARD PRIME MINISTER!

Signed, “Third Rate Union”

……………………………………Ms. Andie Stephen

General Secretary The People’s Union

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: The People’s Union Response To Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s Comments On The ONDCP.