Pay attention to working conditions of public-sector workers, especially Clarevue and Fiennes, Nicholas beseeches the Gov’t

Senate Minority Leader Shawn Nicholas is asking the Gaston Browne Administration to pay closer attention to the upkeep of government buildings, many of which are in a dilapidated condition and causing health concerns to workers.

Continuing in her role as advocate, Nicholas was speaking in the Senate on Monday, March 20, as she made her contribution to the Appropriations Bill, 2023.

She says that too many public servants are crying out for a better work environment, including police officers, teachers, and healthcare providers.

And if this administration truly cared about workers, Nicholas says, it would have allocated to the Ministry of Works the financial resources for the upkeep of these buildings.

The United Progressive Party (UPP) senator notes that it is fine to boast about erecting beautiful structures; however, maintenance and their general upkeep is another story.

According to Nicholas, she has personally been approached by a number of public servants who complain about the conditions under which they are forced to produce daily.

The minority leader says that persons who are not working in a safe and clean environment will not put out their best and their productivity levels will fall.

She does acknowledge that there are workers who do not put out their best at times, but the work environment might be a contributing factor, she believes.

Meanwhile, Nicholas also made an impassioned plea for long-awaited assistance to workers at the Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital and the Fiennes Institute.

For years, these public servants have been working under unsanitary conditions, and they have staged protest action over a number of issues, including overtime payment, uniform stipend, and risk allowance.

However, the situation has not gotten significantly better, since some concerns have been addressed immediately while others are left to languish.   

Nicholas says it is a shame that workers are still having to beg the Government for risk allowances and other benefits to which they are entitled, when the Administration is into its third term in office.