Pay glitch

Some public workers have not been paid today as usual.

A number of the affected workers told Barbados TODAY late this evening that the problem relates to a “poorly prepared file” which was sent by the Treasury Department to the commercial bank authorizing the institution to release the funds.

“There was a problem with the file…the file was sent back and when they [the bank] get back the file they will upload it,” stated a disgruntled worker.

“This bank has not paid those public officers who are customers of the bank. They are claiming that they got a “very bad file.” The file was so poor or the specs of the file were so poor that they were unable to process it. They had to send it back to the Treasury and have not gotten back one as yet.

“I and a lot of other officers who are members of the bank have not been paid today up to 5:23,” said another public servant.

The employee is contending that every month the same situation occurs and it has to be dealt with.

“And today is pay day and there is absolutely no money. What is going to happen tomorrow…we are unsure. Nurses, clerks, everybody that gets salaries from this bank have not gotten any up to this time. It is not to say only temporary officers, it is appointed officers as well,” Barbados TODAY was told.

A Government-paid staff member who was affected, said it did not even make sense calling the union “because they don’t care”.

When contacted tonight General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Delcia Burke was not initially aware of the development.

However, after making a check Burke confirmed the pay problem, explaining it only involved workers whose salaries are deposited at CIBC First Caribbean International Bank.

“I can’t check now [with the treasury] because it is too late, but I will look into it tomorrow morning,” she said.

The union leader sought to make it clear that the non-payment problem did not involve the entire public service, only those belonging to CIBC.

Efforts to get a response from Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn were unsuccessful.