Bermuda Public Services Union president Armell Thomas is to call a membership meeting after anger over the treatment of the Premier's secretary who came back from holiday to find she had been replaced.

It's understood the secretary was abruptly sent home on paid leave after working in the job for the best part of a decade although Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque says she is now working with the Head of the Civil Service.

Mr. Thomas said: "We are writing to the Public Services Commission about this as a matter of principal.

"We are having a membership meeting I hope things don't turn out to be negative because I don't know who is next."

The union has increased its shop stewards in all areas because some of the radical changes that might be coming down the pipeline, said Mr. Thomas.

He cited the changes at the New York tourism office and the recent amalgamation of management services back into the human resources department.

"I am tired of this bad behaviour. There is no respect I don't know if it is aimed at the Bermuda Public Service Union or not but there are so many changes.

"Whose next? The Post Office? I am not mouthing off at the other ministers I think they work hard but it's one person. I don't even know if they knew about the ordeal with the secretary.

"This is what I am upset about – where are the guidelines, where is the good governance?

"It is amazing in 2009. The Premier has to stop treating civil servants like they are political appointees. He's a smart guy he knows the process.

"So how the heck are you going to get a temporary person to come in and take over a permanent person's job?"

Mr. Thomas said the Premier's secretary's post wasn't even advertised. "She goes on vacation, was asked to show the girl how to do things and she comes back to find out this they sent her home with paid leave.

"She is very much upset. Principals are involved here. If the Premier is going to do this to his own secretary he can try to do this to anybody else throughout the civil service."

Mr. Thomas said unions met with the Premier on a monthly basis. "You would think things would be getting better, he could tell us what he is doing. We don't have a communication problem it is just getting information from the other side."

Mr. Thomas said if a politician wanted to change their secretary they were ways to go about.

"He should go to the Head of the Civil Service. You can say 'we are having a problem, it's not working out with my secretary. How can we move forward.' Look at her appraisal, talk to her, see what areas she needs help in."

A transfer could be worked out said Mr. Thomas. "She was given all that after but they had no spot so they sent her home on paid leave.

"I don't know anywhere in the world where you go away, come back and then find a temp has taken your job. What message are we sending, especially in these economic times."

In a down-turn the Government and union needed to be talking more, said Mr. Thomas.

"People are put into place because of good governance, respect and integrity but once they get there they forget about everything. It is about self, I am sick and tired of it, I really am.

"It makes us look like the bad people, we are always responding and reacting but we should be coming together."

He said it was time civil servants started saying no to the Premier. The Premier's press secretary Glenn Jones declined to comment last night, saying: "Civil servant staffing matters aren't handled by the Premier."

He urged this paper to contact Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque who would not discuss why the Premier's secretary had been removed. However he said it was not correct to say she had come back from holiday to find someone else had taken her job.

Asked what had happened he said: "I don't discuss internal matters like that in the public domain. It is not fair to the officer concerned nor is it fair to the civil service generally."

Former Premier Alex Scott worked with the secretary who had been removed for his entire three year Premiership and spoke very highly of her.

He said: "I have absolutely nothing but high praise for her. She was not difficult to get along with, she was very professional and I am not surprised there has been a reaction to her going.

"She would be there working when I arrived in the morning and would generally be still there when I left at six or 6.30 at night. I don't ever remember her saying she could not do anything. It is a high pressure post but she always kept up."