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COVID-19 watchdog officers not paid in three months

by Barbados Today
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Dozens of employees of the COVID-19 Unit, which polices the pandemic protocols, are yet to see a single cent in pay since taking up their duties last year December.

Over the last few weeks, some frustrated Community Health Liason Officers have been threatening to “put down their tools” in the absence of definitive answers from their immediate supervisor Ronald Chapman or the Ministry of Health on the issues.

In an exclusive interview on Thursday, Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic confirmed that the officers were not being paid as they braved the frontlines of this country’s pandemic situation. Declaring there was “no excuse” for the blunder, he explained the issue is currently being rectified and vowed to do “everything possible” to ensure it is not repeated.

Upset workers told Barbados TODAY that after months of unemployment last year, they were hired with the expectation of a monthly pay cheque. Instead, they had been carrying out their duties across the country without even receiving a gas allowance. Adding insult to injury is the fact that at least two of the officers have already contracted the deadly virus.

The group of approximately 40 officers was brought on in the festive season to help bolster the unit.

In fact, at least one officer complained that from a financial standpoint, work with the monitoring unit was “worse than unemployment”.

“We don’t just work in one area, we work all over Barbados. So you have to be putting in gas every single day … They don’t know where our money is coming from, but we have to foot it ourselves, and that is much more expensive than when you were home sitting down,” the contract worker complained.

“It is even more upsetting when you go out there working so hard and as a frontline worker you are putting yourself at risk. You are not being paid and already at least two or three people in the department have come down with COVID,” the community liaison officer added.

When contacted by this newspaper, Chapman said he could neither confirm nor deny the claim, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kenneth George said the issues were not under his remit.

Minister Bostic however admitted that after receiving numerous complaints, he instructed permanent secretary Janet Philips to investigate the matter.

“The investigations revealed that some persons whose money should have gone on their bank accounts, did not [receive it], but cheques were available for those persons within the accounts section of the ministry, and the persons were not notified,” the lieutenant colonel explained.

“I don’t know the numbers that have been affected, but they were sufficient enough to cause me to look at it, because people were actually sending me messages and forwarding messages from other persons to me.

“It is a situation which we really do not like and we are going to do everything possible to ensure that it does not happen again, because people must be paid once they have worked. People must be paid and paid on time, so we are not going to tolerate any excuses for that not happening,” the minister promised.

Amid the adversity and frustration, the officers have remained committed to the task of overseeing the enforcement of the COVID-19 protocols.

“They have been making a difference and an impact within the communities and within the polyclinics… and I really thank them for that. It says to me that we have a very good set of people working with us and that is why we must go all out to ensure they are paid on time,” Bostic declared.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)

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