Protest disrupts operations at Administrator General’s Department over 'life-threatening' conditions

Operations at the Administrator General’s Department in Kingston were disrupted Friday as employees staged a protest, demanding immediate action over what they describe as “life-threatening” working conditions.

The demonstration follows reports that several workers have suffered health issues due to exposure to fumes and dust from ongoing construction on the building’s fifth floor.

“We have suffered long enough,” declared Kelvin Thomas II, Vice President of the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA), who joined the protest. He said employees have endured problems with the building for years.

“Persons report coming to work, and immediately as they come in, they start to feel sick. Persons would have had a Zoom meeting last night, and different workers would have shared the medical impact that the building has had on them. Persons have reported burning eyes, tightening of the stomach, difficulty breathing, so these are not tales, these are facts. What has happened is that the management is just treating it as if it's business as usual.

“And the fact is, the workers have a right to a clean and safe and healthy work environment. So, any workers who leave the job, they cannot penalise them,” he said.

The building, owned by the state-owned Urban Development Corporation, has been undergoing repairs in recent weeks. Workers say the air quality has worsened since renovations began and accuse management of ignoring long-standing concerns about mould and poor ventilation.

According to Thomas, the Ministry of Health has confirmed the presence of mould in the building, and the union has received that report. He said conditions are now untenable.

“We are calling for the immediate evacuation of all floors occupied by the Administrator General’s Department. Workers should not have to choose between their health and their jobs,” he said.

Thomas noted that some workers, fearful of retaliation, stayed inside the building. However, the union has advised its members to report for duty but not to enter the unsafe workspaces.

The JCSA has written to the Ministry of Labour requesting an urgent meeting with the department's management, as concerns mount over the lack of a long-term solution.

The department administers the estates of persons who die intestate, that is, without a will and protects the interests of minors, beneficiaries and creditors as mandated by law.

-Tanesha Mundle

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