People's Report

Retired teacher's pension woes
Antonnette Thomas, Mandeville, Manchester

My mother has had an ongoing issue with the Accountant General's Department.

She is a government retiree, who taught for half her life.

My mother, Shirley Thomas, retired in 1999 from teaching at William Knibb Memorial High School in Trelawny. In February 2011, her pension was suspended for two months because of late arrival of her life certificate. The pension was resumed in April, once the life certificate was received in the office.

Since her pension payments resumed, her Blue Cross/Sagicor premiums also resumed, but she learned that her Sagicor plan was cancelled, and not resumed at all. From September, when she contacted Sagicor in Montego Bay and was told by Mrs Lavern Walker-Miller to hurry to get her plan reinstated, she has been calling the Accountant General's Deparment to speak to the Sagicor personnel there, and having endless problems with getting her plan reinstated.

Mrs Walker-Miller had told her that she could pay the two missing months' premiums herself if she received a letter from the Accountant General's Department to allow her to pay and to reinstate her, OR she could be reinstated by the department paying the missing months' premiums and sending the request to reinstate her.

She is having difficulty with purchasing her medication, as all are not available (often just one) free at the public hospital or at DrugServ. When she goes to the regular private pharmacies, she is able to afford only a fraction of her medicines (of six to seven medicines, only three to four, and only one to two weeks' supply of each), while using her grocery money for the medications, and she is going hungry as a result. She is in desperate need of new glasses as well.

She called the Accountant General's Department repeatedly (for many months) to speak to the Sagicor personnel there, and first got a Ms Denise Hylton, and then a Ms Williams, and then a Ms Shelly-Ann Brown, and then a Mr Riley, and then various persons whose names she did not record. Then she got Ms Mesha McDonald for the last couple of calls, and is yet to have her plan reinstated.

A fax was also sent to Mr Riley's attention (967-0315), to no avail. She called many times with the phone ringing unanswered, and other times with long 'holds' with her call credit all running out (no phone lines exist in our rural Westmoreland community, only cellphone service).

She was promised callbacks, and never got one. She is upset and frustrated, as am I. Please, please, please help.

My mother continues to have premiums deducted from her pension with no health insurance coverage. All those premiums need to be refunded, and her coverage resumed. Why must she suffer so, after all her years of service? Are we being told that elderly persons should just curl up and die once they are no longer employed in the public service?

tonnette77@gmail.com, athomas11@stu.ncu.edu.jm

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Traffic cops not leading by example

FRUSTRATED MOTORIST, St Andrew

It is obvious our traffic cops are not sincerely in the business of reducing speed, careless driving or road fatalities, but rather in the business of earning revenue on behalf of the Government, and for rogue elements, themselves.

There are so many policemen in unmarked vehicles on our roadways, yet the probability of a motorist being stopped, warned or ticketed in the absence of a speed trap, or spot check is highly unlikely.

The presence of law enforcement is just not felt on our roads, in addition to the fact that even those in marked vehicles are a poor example of how to use the road. If you follow a cop car in most developed countries, you can learn how to use the road; not here.

On numerous occasions, I have seen police personnel cruising in the right lane, particularly westbound on Mandela Highway. In the last instance, the policewoman in the passenger seat was clearly doing paperwork under the roof light, while her partner cruised with hand on cheek and a pile-up of traffic unable to overtake ('keep to the left, except when overtaking').

This has become the norm for most motorists on our dual carriageways, and from observation, it unfortunately spans every cross section of our society.

What is also alarming is that many, especially those cruising on their cellphones, take offence to being 'flashed' or 'blown' by the frustrated tailgater. If we are to curb this problem and improve the quality of driving on our roads, all police personnel need to play their part and not just those on the beat. Until motorists start wondering who may be behind, beside or in front of them, they will continue to operate carelessly.

No garbage collection in Old Harbour since Dec

Donna Thompson, Old Harbour, St Catherine

I live in the community of Old Harbour, and the garbage has not being picked up since the second week in December 2011.

As I write on Thursday, January 19, 2012, the garbage is yet to be picked up. Dogs have scattered the garbage all over the community and flies are everywhere. It is an epidemic waiting to happen. I have four drums with garbage in bags piling up to the sky.

I have called the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) on several occasions and personnel there took quite a long time to answer the phone, before telling me that they will have to speak to an officer, as they cannot answer the question of when the garbage will be picked up.

I had to constantly pay off (grease their palms) garbage collectors to pick up the trash last year, but obviously my greasing was not enough.

It has got worse since the management of NSWMA changed. Is it not part of the Government's mandate to collect the garbage? Is this not a benefit of the taxpayer anymore?

I need help!
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Kudos to courteous JPS employee

ROYDELL D. CLARKE Sr, Islington, St Mary

Kindly allow me precious space in your newspaper to publicly express my sincere appreciation to a well-groomed and professional employee at the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) call centre. She is Sherica Miller.

On Wednesday, January 18, 2012, I happened to be passing through the district of Robin's Bay in St Mary, and as a former JPS employee myself, I was stopped by a customer of JPS and a fire hazard was pointed out to me.

Having seen what was happening, I immediately called the JPS call centre to report the matter. An employee at the JPS call centre, who I shall NOT name for obvious reasons, was very unprofessional. After a brief conversation with her, trying to explain what I had seen, she wanted an account number. I said there was none, and that an account number was NOT relevant, for the fire was on the JPS lines.

She was not amused, and seemed to decide that either I comply or be tongue-trashed!

Having received a tongue-lashing from her, I told her that I was a former employee and that her behaviour left a lot to be desired.

And so to add insult to injury, I was then placed on hold. Knowing she was still listening with the phone muted, I said to a customer (so that she could hear) that she was not a good customer service rep, and again she opened the phone line and I earned her wrath as she confirmed to me that, indeed, she was not.

After about 24 minutes on hold, while there continued to be sparks on the JPS line, the line was disconnected. I called back. This time, an employee with a sense of purpose (Ms Miller) answered. Calmly and professionally, she listened, assessed the information, recognising the urgency and pending danger, she logged the call. I do hope that that her rude co-worker takes a page out of her book.

Well done, Sherica! Keep up the good work. JPS must be very proud of you. God bless and protect you always.

deltaforcerc@hotmail.com

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