Dear Claudienne

For twelve years my mother worked in the laundry department of the Jamaica Police Academy at Twickenham Park.

Since last year August the police academy administration has not been responsible for running the laundry and canteen, and seven of us who worked there were laid off.

Some of the other workers had been there for between 20-30 years. They did not receive any retirement benefits so they went to the Ministry of Labour.

The ministry computed how much they should be paid and in February 2010 sent the information to the Police Human Resources office.

The HR director advised them that their cheques would be ready in August, but when they went to collect them they were told that the Finance Department said that the cheques could not be prepared as they were unable to verify who had employed them.

On October 12 I spoke to the HR manager and she informed me that the benefits could not be processed on the basis of the the computation received from the Ministry of Labour. She said that the file had been sent back to the Finance Department.

Please see what you can find out for me.

NB

Dear NB

We spoke with the Police Human Resources department. An HR officer advised Tell Claudienne that the process had been protracted because the HR department did not employ the workers. She said that they were directly employed by an officer at the police academy.

She said that the computation of benefits that the workers got from the Ministry of Labour was based on the Redundancy and Termination Act and the Holiday with Pay Act. However, central government does not pay redundancy. They award an ex gratia payment or a compassionate gratuity, it was explained.

The officer said that the Ministry of Finance has determined that the workers should be paid $2 million. However, since the Finance Department did not have this sum in their budget, they have requested the money from the Ministry of Finance and are hoping that they will get it in December.

We will follow this up.

Good luck.

Dear Claudienne

For some time some of the street lights on Garden Boulevard in Mona Heights have been out of service. I have been calling the JPS but up to now nothing has been done.

Could you help please?

MW

Dear MW

Tell Claudienne contacted the Jamaica Public Service Company and we note that the street lights have been repaired.

Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 936-9436 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.