The Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union should not be left to languish for too much longer without a person being in charge, who can definitively lay claim to the presidency. If that state of affairs were allowed to continue, it could eventually lead to chaos and a breakdown in the orderliness of the union's business.

The general election for the officers three weeks ago ended in a tie vote for the leadership and up to now new date has been set for a runoff to determine conclusively who the president should be.

The incumbent president, Pat Bain, is in a tenuous position having lost his executive slate, except for the general secretary, and the other elected officials have categorically stated that they want him gone.

Technically, Mr Bain is still the president as he did not lose the position, but he will forever be between the proverbial rock and hard place when it comes to getting his programmes moving. Because, at the other end, I Fa Justice candidate, Roy Colebrook, may decide to just be disagreeable with Mr Bain's proposals, and he has sufficient people in place to make a difference.

Of paramount concern to the I Fa Justice team was the claim that a $5 million loan was negotiated by the previous executives of the union without the consent or the knowledge of the union's membership. That was never clarified to the satisfaction of the team, some of whom were dismissed from positions in the lower level of the union.

Another contentious point over the past two years has been the manner in which the displaced workers in Freeport, Grand Bahama were left dangling after two massive hurricanes resulted in the closure of the Royal Oasis Resorts and Casino. Three months after the resort closed, they were made ineligible for continued membership — as their dues were not paid —and subsequently they were not allowed to vote in the union's My 26 election.

If the current position is allowed to continue, there will soon be frustration in both camps, when it appears that the union's business is suffering because of a lack of direction. The two different factions will be constantly at war and nothing will seem to get done, and the crunch will be when there is disagreement between line staff and management and the need arises for negotiations.

Will an untenable leadership feel obliged to negotiate in good faith, and to get the best deal for all concerned? That is the question.

At this point in time, three weeks after a tie was declared in the vote, a date for a runoff election should not be "still up in the air." The Ministry of Labour needs to take it in hand, immediately set a date for the poll to be held and organise a runoff election programme. The sooner that has been done the better it will be as the livelihood of more than 7,000 union members is hanging in the balance.