SSA staffers get new recreational facility

Amidst the doom and gloom of the COVID-19 environment, workers of the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) have a new recreational hall to smile about.

The recreational hall for which the workers have been lobbying as long as 15 years was officially opened by the Minister of Environment and National Beautification Adrian Forde, at the SSA’s Wildey, St Michael depot today.

Minister Forde said the facility is a basic need which would allow workers to comfortably enjoy a meal and engage in social activities.

He said around July last year when he was first assigned to the Ministry, the SSA Wildey Depot was one of the departments he visited and he was not pleased with the state of the recreational facility the workers were using at that time.

“I must tell you that I was ashamed because this is not the mantra of this Government. We believe that workers should be treated with a measure of dignity
and so I give the instructions to both chairman and managers to move with haste to ensure what you are seeing before you, represent not only the standards that we are setting for our employees across Barbados, but inadvertently the standard that we are setting as a country,” Forde said.

During his remarks, Forde told the workers who are also working around the clock to keep Barbados clean despite the ongoing COVID-19 environment, that they are unsung heroes.

The Minister indicated that while he has seen pictures of medical personnel in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), it cannot be ignored that without the commitment of SSA workers who also collect garbage from medical facilities, Barbados would lose its fight against COVID-19.

“So these are the persons who become a part of the whole chain-link process as it relates to the fight. The Sanitation Service Authority is the strong link in this fight. So I want to pay homage to them as well for being on the forefront when a lot of Barbadians are sleeping before they wake up on mornings.

“For those who dump illegally, the Sanitation responds, and sometimes beyond the call of duty to ensure that our health is secured and that the reputation of this country as a tourist destination is preserved as well.

“So this recreational facility is all about thanking them, all about showing them appreciation, it is all about embracing their efforts today. It is about providing them with a pristine place that can rival any place in the public service in terms of a recreational place, where these great workers can feel a sense of pride,” Forde said.

Steven Edwards, who is on the National Union of Public Workers (NPUW) committee representing SSA workers, indicated that he was happy to see the transformation of the facility which he noted had not been in a good state.

“I mean it is just one of the issues that we always looking forward to being resolved, but the cracks are being filled and I am very grateful for this day.

“All we are asking is for the workers to respect it and give thanks for it because in this pandemic a lot of people losing. But we are still here, still looking after the people and I am very grateful,” Edwards said. (AH)