St Ann’s workers demand meal allowances

The same situation arose early last year, and workers went to the ministry. The protest prompted Health Minister John Rahael to intervene, and the arrears owed were subsequently paid.

"Workers with the Regional Health Authorities are getting their meal allowance with their salary every month. We have asked several times, why can’t we be paid on time?" said Oral Saunders, chairman of the Public Services Association section at St Ann’s.

The last payment of the meal allowance ($525) was in August. Saunders yesterday said he was unsuccessful in attempts to reach the Health Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Reynold Cooper, about the problem.

"Why does the ministry continue to frustrate workers? They hold out and Christmas came and went we are now in the new year."

Contacted for comment, Cooper said it was "unfair" for workers to blame the ministry for everything. He said 97 paysheets were submitted by St Ann’s and other institutions in December, a time when vacation, sick leave, and time-off were high in the public sector.

"Why didn’t they tell the staff at St Ann’s to send the thing down earlier?"

He said the meal allowance is usually "paid in arrears, in the following month" because workers must earn it.

Cooper said the information on paysheets must be verified by the check staff before going to the Cheque Preparation Unit. He said the unit has been busy processing cheques for payment. The volume of work coming in has caused one cheque machine to break down.

"I have to find out why all the paysheets from September to November all came in December?"

Adding to the length of time it was taking for cheques to be processed was the fact that some workers want personal cheques. Cooper said he needed to find out why this was happening. To illustrate, he said there were 137 workers who wanted cheques on one paysheet. He said the unit also had to prepare cheques for suppliers.