
By Neto Baptiste
Almost three months after Minister of Information Melford Nicholas pleaded with employees of the country’s sports ministry to be patient as government worked on having key utilities installed at their new location, staff is still without working telephone lines and internet.
This was revealed by the coordinator of schools football, Rowan Benjamin, who said the absence of the key utilities continues to make life difficult for all who utilise the building on a daily basis.
“What I know is that we still don’t have any telephone lines and we still don’t have any internet. It affects my work tremendously and it hits the pocket, too. I don’t ask for reimbursement but I asked for a phone which, when I finish the league I would give them back the phone and I haven’t gotten anything,” he said.
Nicholas said in September that the matter was in the process of being addressed by the Public Works Department and asked employees to exercise patience while the matter is being resolved.
The sports ministry had moved into the building which previously housed Cricket West Indies (CWI) since March this year. Director of Sports, Heather Samuel Daley, revealed in September that the offices were still without the key utilities which had forced the ministry to resort to shortened work days.
Benjamin said that with the new school term set to open in January, more coordinators could be negatively affected.
“Well, it’s everyday somebody asks about it because it is affecting everybody. Some next January when all these other sports are looking to start you have to try and make contact with schools and so on and it’s really difficult. Sometimes you miss somebody and it is not everybody will use their telephone or cellphones and make calls. It’s not even a case where you can maybe put a communique together to send out,” he said.
Reports are that sports minister Daryll Matthew is fully aware of the situation. Staff have reportedly been working shortened hours, from 8am to 12pm daily.