THE EDITOR, Sir:

With regard to the Sunday Gleaner story 'Where is the nurses' money?' (March 10, 2013), the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) must also report that we have also received complaints that our members' deductions are not being paid over when deducted from health-sector workers.

One institution called us to say that deductions from December had not been paid over up to February, and that when it contacted the employee, it showed the payslip with the deductions.

It must be noted that these institutions get the full funding for their payroll, with the exception of certain statutory deductions, because it was long ago found out that certain ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were deducting and not paying over statutory deductions, so this was now being deducted from their warrants upfront by the Accountant General's Department and paid over to the relevant state collector.

However, personal deductions continue to be deducted and held or used by MDAs. This has resulted in some institutions 'blacklisting' employees from the Ministry of Health and the regional health authorities.

The JCSA and its Mutual Thrift Society have also been impacted by this, and we have found it necessary to appeal to the Ministry of Finance to issue circulars to persuade MDAs to fully comply with deduction orders. We also requested the auditor general to include in her audit examinations the issue of non-compliance with deduction orders.

The JCSA would like to use this medium to encourage all MDAs to pay over all sums deducted from employees' salaries and avoid the embarrassment of civil and criminal suits being lodged as a result of this criminally negligent act.

ONEIL GRANT

oneil_w_grant@digicel.blackberry.com