P.S.U. Says the Ministry of Health is the Worst Place to Work

The Public Service Union has issued an update to its members on the recently concluded familiarization tour by new president, Gerald Henry at government ministries. And it is not pretty. The document is lengthy and confirms what has been known for some time of working conditions and the environment within certain ministries. According to the document, the Ministry of Health is head of class. The tour found that across the country, public officers at most health facilities were subjected to “unsanitary if not inhumane conditions and a hazardous environment lacking proper safety gears and equipment to keep them safe from hazardous waste, chemicals and communicable diseases. In certain hospitals and clinics doctors and nurses are required to work strenuous hours in unequipped facilities and under very poor working conditions.” Another area is at the Fire Department where the union found that fire fighters tackle fires with fire trucks that leak not only water, but oil and diesel and have faulty brakes system. Over at the Ministry of Agriculture, the P.S.U. notes that several officers, classified as labourers, have not received a single increment or salary increase for over twenty years. It adds that they are forced to endure intimidation and unwarranted victimization daily from supervisors, political flunkies and other political appointees. The document goes on to pinpoint the ills at the ministries and calls on the government to improve conditions and on the Mministry of Public Service to start holding certain Administrative and Finance Officers accountable for their actions and inactions which are contrary to the Public Service Regulations.