The Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) has sought to make it clear that plots cannot be purchased in public cemeteries.Public Relations Officer at the SSA Carl Padmore sent that message following a report in another section of the media in which a man claimed he had bought a plot at Westbury Cemetery where his wife was buried four years ago only to find recently that the grave was being prepared for reuse.He said he had agreed to pay a man offering funeral services $2 500 for the plot and currently had a $700 outstanding balance.
Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) management and workers have moved closer to resolving grievances that prompted a work stoppage this week, officials from both sides have confirmed.During talks on Friday between chairman of the SSA Ramon Alleyne and lead negotiator for the employees, Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Wayne Walrond, a commitment was given for further discussions. The talks at the union’s Dalkeith Road, St Michael headquarters came on the heels of a two-day strike by employees who demanded that Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Adrian Forde intervene in their dispute with SSA management over increased pay, and hazard and washing allowances, among other matters.
It is sad to have so many of our “essential workers” complaining about their treatment as employees and the allegations of disrespect.The two years of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic should have taught us an important lesson. We learned that workers who are often taken for granted because their roles were viewed as not so important and that they could be easily replaced, are in fact, critical to the functioning of our society.The gas station attendants, the supermarket and mini-mart cashiers and merchandisers, our nurses, teachers and ambulance attendants, the custodians required to maintain schools and offices, police officers and other first responders, all work to ensure our society functions properly.Also high on that list are garbage collectors. When many of our citizens enjoyed the luxury of working from home or a hybrid work arrangement, and still enjoyed the security of full pay, our garbage men and women, as well as other essential workers, turned up for work a
Management of the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) is appealing to the public to stop harassing workers and be more cooperative as they clean up garbage across the island.On Thursday, public relations officer at the SSA Carl Alf Padmore told Barbados TODAY that in recent weeks, some of the Authority’s workers, especially those assigned to certain St Michael and Christ Church districts, were being harassed and even attacked by residents.“Management is concerned about the constant harassment on the road with our loaders and drivers. We’ve had cases where the loaders would have refused to go into some areas, especially in St Michael and Christ Church areas, because they are being threatened,” he said.
The Barbados Police Service has a new outpost in the Ivy, St Michael community that has been the scene of recent shootings, and Acting Senior Superintendent for the Bridgetown Division Adrian Broomes said the move was part of efforts to ensure residents felt safe.Around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, several officers were seen setting up the outpost and interacting with people in the neighbourhood.Broomes said the aim was to have a stronger presence in the urban district.“When we consider a lot of recent happenings in the Ivy, we look at our core values when it comes to the service and that is to make communities safe. We put this post down as a means of reassurance to let the persons here in this district know that the police are here [and] we understand their concerns. We are not only about the policing effort but we are also concerned about the community and people being safe,” he said.