NSWMA workers get permanent-employment letters

The Government has commenced the transitioning of workers at the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and its four regional branches into 3,813 new permanent positions.

The transition exercise, which includes drivers, sanitation officers and operational staff, marks a significant step in enhancing the stability and efficiency of solid waste management services across the country, said Executive Director of the NSWMA, Audley Gordon.

He was addressing a ceremony for the presentation of the first set of permanent-employment letters at the agency's Half-Way Tree Road head office in St Andrew on Monday.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke, in his closing Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on March 26, announced that Cabinet gave approval for the new posts across the NSWMA, which includes MPM Waste Management Authority, NEPM Waste Management Authority, SPM Waste Management and WPM Waste Management Authority.

“At the moment, there are only 269 posts; everybody else is on contract. Sanitation workers, truck drivers, route supervisors, enforcement officers, mechanics. All of the working people in the NSWMA and its subsidiaries for the past 30 years, approximately, were… on contract,” he pointed out.

Gordon told the workers that now that they are on the official establishment of the Government of Jamaica, it is up to them “to keep your jobs, because the Government has done its part”.

Sanitation worker, Ian Rowe, said he is happy to have received this letter of permanent employment.

“I feel so good this morning. Since I got the call, I am feeling so happy. I love my job and I am doing my best to take it to another level,” he said.

Truck driver, Deon Griffiths, also expressed gratitude. “It is a great feeling and I will continue to do my work with excellence,” he said.

Director of Corporate Services at the NSWMA, Sheenique Johnson, said the workers now enjoy life insurance and health benefits, and a pension scheme is being worked on. “We hope it will be finalised in short order,” she said.

Meanwhile, Director of Operations, Aretha McFarlane, said it is an important occasion for the staff, who are on the streets every day keeping the environment clean. “Their long service and dedication have paid off and it is a new reality for them,” she noted.

The NSWMA is an agency of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development that provides solid waste management services to safeguard public health, while helping to create an environment that is healthy and aesthetically pleasing for both residents and visitors to enjoy.

- JIS

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