Census frustration

AMID THE growing frustration of census workers over remuneration, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) has failed to outline a timeline for payments owed for the recently concluded 2022 population and housing census.

The census commenced in September 2022 and was slated to run for six months.

However, it ended in December of last year.

Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke, in his Budget Debate presentation earlier this month, said that STATIN had completed data collection and was now analysing the data.

Yesterday, during a virtual press briefing hosted by STATIN, both field officers and supervisors did not shy away from voicing their annoyance over late payments from the agency that is responsible for oversight of the national survey.

While waiting on the commencement of the press briefing on the agency's YouTube page, comments came flooding in from census workers across the island as they demanded their payments for work reportedly done since 2022.

Concerns were also raised over the lack of communication from the agency since completion of face-to-face data collection in December.

In her response to the concerns raised, Carol Coy, director general at STATIN, sought to provide an update on the payments, but no clear timeline was outlined. She said that the agency was now focused on the disbursement of funds to workers now that data collection had been completed.

Coy was, however, quick to point out that the process had been delayed for reasons including, “the fact that some census workers have not completed the processes needed to facilitate a payment.

“Just sending in the questionnaires is not the final part of completion. The visitation record, as I said in the brief, is one of the areas we are having issues with. This is one of the challenges that we have been faced with. The visitation records have not been completed correctly. Once this is done, then all payments will be made,” Coy said.

The director general's explanation was greeted with displeasure as census workers shared that they had completed the necessary steps but had still not received any funds.

Aneisha Whyte, who was contracted as a supervisor in St Ann by STATIN, told The Gleaner that she was disappointed by how the agency declined to provide a timeline on monies owed for work done during the period of data collection.

Whyte contacted our news team earlier in March to share her concerns over the handling of payments, and an email was sent to STATIN, by this reporter, requesting an update on the matter on March 11.

Contact was also made with Georgia Garvey-Green, STATIN's corporate communication manager, who promised to provide clarity on the issue.

However, up to press time, this response had not been provided.

Whyte told The Gleaner that she was initially contracted to supervise a zone, which included six enumeration districts, in St Ann. She was then asked to fill in and accept the additional responsibilities of a second zone after another census supervisor resigned.

More questions than answers

She explained that she was excited for the opportunity as the approved compensation for a census supervisor was $160,000 per supervisory zone. In addition to that, supervisors were also promised a travel allowance of $140,000 for each zone.

Whyte further stated that she had only received part payment of her travel allowance, totalling $104,335.

The census supervisor explained that she has since reached out to Dagrie Johnson-Frank, area manager for Area 4, but she had been left with more questions than answers.

“I called my area manager, and she said that she has requested my payment from headquarters, which is the final approval for payment. I called about the enumeration district that should be approved, and my area manager said that she has requested it from HQ but hasn't gotten any answers as yet,” said Whyte.

“Each time I try to reach out to HQ, I am not getting through. I called the head office, and they said that they do not have an extension for headquarters, so I have to leave a message,” Whyte complained.

Johnson-Frank declined to comment on the issue when contacted by The Gleaner.

At the same time, Whyte said that she had been left in an uncomfortable situation as the census workers, who she supervised, were now looking to her for answers.

“It is unfair because we are the ones who went out in the field. We are the ones who get insulted – people even run wi from dem yaad. I remember a pon mi two knees mi drop out deh one day. We go out there inna di sun and rain,” she bemoaned.

“I am one of the supervisors who push my census takers to go out there and do the work. Now dem a call me, and I don't even know what fi tell dem. Sometimes mi see dem a call me, and I don't even answer because I don't know what fi say,” Whyte added.

“I have three census takers who completed, but I have some who didn't complete because of the same payment issues. One of my census takers completed six enumeration districts, and it's unfair that she can't get her final payment. It is unfair that whenever she calls me, I have to tell her that I don't know what to say. It is unfair,” she continued.

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com