STATIN needs to pay for census work

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I completed the census for the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) from December 2022 and returned the tablet computer assigned to me. After I returned it, they claimed that I didn’t complete any questionnaire for the people who I did not find at their home or who did not participate in the census.

I was paid half of the travel allowance and about $30,000 for the work done. To date, I have not received the balance of payment. This is a substantial portion of the payment, the retroactive pay (which should be double the amount, since there was an increase in the amount paid for questionnaires and the travel allowance) and the balance of travel allowance.

I called STATIN, the supervisor, and I have visited their office on several occasions. I have called the number they gave for those who did not received their pay, but to no avail. I emailed the Ministry of Finance and was told that they are in the process of making payments. That is more than a month now and no one has reached out to me or made a payment to me.

I worked honestly, diligently, assiduously to completed my work and this is the thanks I get – no pay! What is the Government doing about this? How do they expect anyone to work like this? The census exercise is not complete because a lot of us who worked hard have not been paid? I would have continued with the work if I was paid, and, I am sure, so would others.

Writing this letter is now my last resort to see if this will be brought to STATIN’s attention, for them to realise realise just how unjustly they have treated people. Those of us who were assigned to undertake the census exercise did so with due diligence. But not being paid by STATIN seems that our work and efforts are not appreciated or recognised.

I would expect that an organisation of STATIN’s stature would be more honest and responsible. After putting in the hard work and collecting the data, I haven’t been paid; I feel like I have been used.

M. SHAW