Lengthy delays hit airport passengers as immigration officers call in sick
Published:Thursday | October 27, 2022 | 12:11 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Passengers arriving at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay on Wednesday said they were forced to remain in immigration for more than one hour as Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) officers went on a go-slow.
Joining their colleagues in Kingston, several immigration officers in Montego Bay called in sick Wednesday morning in protest of a contentious interdiction process, the non-payment of a special allowance, and alleged mistreatment.
Stating they were demoralised and disappointed in a reclassification process that has not been completed, the officers argued that the leadership at the state agency has been slow to address their concerns.
“Officers have been having issues with promises, retroactive special allowances, while three of our officers are on interdiction without due process,” they claim.
They said immigration needs to return to its former standing, where they earned the respect of other state agencies and security personnel in the airport.
“Interaction with Port Security garners no respect there anymore and management has basically given them authority to do anything they want and our functions have been denigrated,” one officer told The Gleaner.
Concerned about a move to turn them into customer service-driven agents, they lament that law enforcement cannot be about customer service.
“In some countries, an immigration bus just shows up at a club and everybody has to present an ID, and, if you are not a national of that country, you are deported,” noted one officer.
They lament that, as their roles are being reduced, the country’s borders have become porous.
“We no longer have a focus on security. Anything high security is being eroded.”
Their go-slow caused passengers such as Horace Gaynor, who arrived at Sangster from Fort Lauderdale at 12:35 p.m. Wednesday, to express concern about the long wait.
“When we landed, I saw about 500 to 600 passengers with only about six immigration booths being manned. Apparently, multiple flights came in at the same time. I stood in line for about an hour and a half, and I was moving probably one step every couple minutes,” Gaynor told The Gleaner.
He said he did not use the kiosks, but went straight to the line, which would normally take between 20 and 30 minutes.
“I have never been in that line for more than 30 minutes, but Wednesday was surprising and the majority of the people were openly frustrated, voicing dissatisfaction,” he stated.
Gaynor said, when he reached the desk and enquired about the number of empty booths, he was told 36 staff were usually on duty when there is a full complement.
In Kingston, more than 50 immigration officers reportedly were no-shows, and National Workers Union (NWU) General Secretary Granville Valentine confirmed that many had called in sick.
He said line staff for the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift had reported they were too unwell to turn up for work.
Some of the affected divisions included shipping, deportation, border management and extension of stay.
“People are at a point that they are clearly indicating that something must be done. My take is that none of us is bigger than the country, and, if there are problems that existed for over two years continuously and nothing effective has been done, that alone will cause enough frustration, demotivation, and people will believe that there is no care,” he said in a statement Wednesday morning.
Earlier this month, Gleaner sources had revealed that protest action was being planned islandwide when managers and supervisors are expected to be engaged in an out-of-town work retreat between October 26 and October 28.
The matter of special allowance was reportedly brought to the Industrial Disputes Tribunal, which ruled that the benefit was to be afforded to immigration officers represented by the NWU, The Gleaner was told.
PICA has denied allegations that it has wronged workers and rejected reports of corrupt practices taking place there.
“Regarding the issue of interdiction, the agency operates within the remit of the law and policies of the Government of Jamaica and adheres to these procedures when treating with any allegations that are brought to the agency’s attention,” it said.
It said that it met with the NWU on October 3 to discuss the matter of interdiction.
“The discussion was quite amicable,” PICA said.