“… and I would suggest a computer at the desk so that the Officer can check the details on arrival and for information sought by the public.

They’ll only use it to update their Facebook status.

Perhaps Caswell will suggest how such the junior officer should be dealt with by supervisors.

@Opinionated: “This officer should be disciplined so that other officers know that type of behavior is not or will not be tolerated.

The problem is systemic.

I myself have sat in that waiting room. I was advised to bring a book. An hour later I was told to enter one of the interview rooms. I continued to read, but also observed through the thin window the officer I eventually met with joke with his colleges with his feet literally on the desk in front of him.

No computer was to be found….

When I first saw the name Ms. Smith, I said, finally she will get things sorted. I do not know Ms. Smith personally except having dealt with her in having my passport renewed when there was a shortage of passports. The lady is a professional, approachable, and polite worker that does a very efficient job. I surely wish many more public workers operated like her.

@ name withheld

I have first to say I know the immigration officer that you are speaking about. I don’t think that you are going to get any satisfaction from anyone at the immigration department because the said employee is very famous and even has an effigy put if in his honour out by the constitution river between the globe and the hospital – yes Percy the fu#king Pig

As you traverse the public service you will find a lot of Percy ‘s family in important positions yes as the security guard or receptionist you are going to meet Anita the boar sow his cousin and Darcy the old hog not to. E confused with Darcy de ole whore at the other ministry.

At twenty years short of a visit from de governor general I would advise you to do what I does do when I goes into dese departments at de end uh de month, fortify yourself wid four swigs of Alleyne Arthur dat is if de udder fellow Oh Arfur ent get to dem bottles befo you whichin once he apply he lips to dat bottle it all ovah I betcha you din used to notice dem six police men who used to prop he up when he was prime monster and had was to Mek speeches pun tall platforms man if it din fuh de six uh dem menses man many nights he wudda fall down befo he get to spit en slobber he golfballs all ovah de microphone!

Remember what I tell you fortify yourself cause if you expect dat Ermine Griffuth uman to come out en apologize fuh Percy de pig you could as well expect Freindy to resign de DLP leadership en give de DLP party a fighting chance. On de occassions when all de libations get consume by OSA I does employ annuder remedy – voltaren on de family jewels – dem does bun like hell but de end results is balls uh steel to wifstan all dem boar sows dat is called public servants.

You gine have a problem effi you is my alabaster white female friend from south Africa via Yorkshire via Dubai causing conjones

Public sector workers do not give a hoot about what you think about the service they are providing because there is zero consequence for those who provide bad service.

And of course Immigration clerks, and officers should not be hostile to those Barbadians born outside of Barbados.

NONE OF US GET TO CHOOSE OUR PLACE OF BIRTH.

But some of us chose to become Barbadians.

@Simple Simon
And of course Immigration clerks, and officers should not be hostile to those Barbadians born outside of Barbados
**************

How about those that live elsewhere? I recall that you made some very strident comments about them back in the day when you blogged under another name.

John, Sept 20, 2012 @8:41
“Public sector workers do not give a hoot about what you think…..” Very true!
That;s the main reason why there is so much criticism of public sector workers in most or all public departments.
The saying is that many of those workers got to that position because of ‘who they know’ and not because they are qualified for that post.
Things will never change as long as the above remains the norm.
Who can one complain to; his political buddy, his friend, his aunt/uncle?
.When one enters a government building, one gets a feeling as if, ‘why have you come here to disturb me?’
Many seemed to have not got a clue as how to deal with the public.
To The Author of the Post:
“……… and on checking she saw I am a citizen of Barbados…….”
just spare a thought for those who are not citizens.
I am familiar with people who were recipients of some unsavoury behaviour from the immigration office, which have brought some people to ‘tears’. Forms cannot be found; an arranged appointments not being met; waiting for very long hours before one can see the person he should see although the appointment was prearranged; then being told the person has gone home.
How would this problem and others be delt with?
Move him/her to another department or left to administer the same treatment to the next person.

But since people are human, and humans are weak and rudeness happens, we ALL should try to decelerate the conflict when we run into Percy the pig, or Harriet the Hog, or Bernard the boar, or Stacey the swine.

That’s all I was trying to say. I wasn’t trying to justify rudeness, or stupidity.

My letter has served me to get both my barbados ID card, NIS card as well as driving licence and BARBADOS PASSPORT both new and renwal. Why would I want to pay $200 for a certificate when I have this offical letter sent to my father by the Barbdos Government some 30+ years ago???????

Ahhh!!!!!!!! so it is about the $200 why didn’t you say so in your original submission.

However unless the law says you must get a certificate, and I don’t know what is the law on this, the clerk had no business trying to force youto get one.

It is up to the Immigration to upgrade that letter to a certificate if that is the new requirement. If the letter has been the accepted form of proof for the last thirty years NO upstart clerk can override that! He is totally out of place.

I would like to know how the security guard got into the fray. Denise tell us please.

All of us just beating around the bush, we all know what needs to happen, but does anyone have the balls to do it.

1) immediate restructure of the Public Service

2) the creation of a Public Service Institute or college, to focus on training and other aspects

3) a disciplinary committee that actually does its JOB

The Public Service is in dis-array.
When you make such a statement there are some who will want to explain it away because they are not seeing what you are seeing. Some people see deeper than other people but these other people put stumbling blocks in the way of improvement.

In situations of chaos , there are people who benefit and these people who benefit keep the loudest noises and are heard. In this part of the world most persons who are articulate and have flowery speech are thought of as saints who can do no wrong. Most of these people are sometimes cruel and unkind, self-serving and selfish; dictatorial and despotic and end up fooling people because people like ‘sweet talk’

The Barbados Public Service is in Crisis and the Ministry of the Civil Service and PAD -(Personnel Administration Department) got um so !

I have a different perspective on this issue. Employees whether they work for the Gov’t or private industry are expected to deliver courteous service. The lady took her complaint up the ladder and the issue was resolved. If the Immigration Officer argued with his boss over the issue that is a matter for internal discipline.

But….. we are dealing with a 30+ year document and Gov’t regulations change over time, post 9-11 most countries have reviewed the requirements for documents which relate to citizenship, the onus is on the individual to provide current documents to prove citizenship. When I applied for my Barbados ID card I took my Birth & Baptismal certificate (originals) but was told those were not acceptable anymore, they had to have the certification stamp from the Registry. I complied and eventually received the ID card, but having worked at the Registry (in my salad days) I know that there was no requirement for those documents to be certified previously but times change and we must also instead of the attitude “I have always done it this way”, if someone made a judgement call that benefited her previously another person may not be so generous the next time.

Here is the big picture, the Canadian Gov’t recently imposed Visa requirements for residents of St. Vincent & the Grenadines and St. Lucia, a key reason was “unreliable travel documents” which means that Sam Couchie and the Duppy who may have had criminal records were able to get passports under different names.

We may think that this is a minor incident but others are watching us and if our requirements are substandard you can be sure it will impact us negatively somewhere down the road.

@ Sarge
Imagine I concurring wid this estoppel……mercy me onions

The original poster refused to “go upstairs and pay $200.00 to get a replacement certificate” because the OP never had one to begin with. If the Barbados Immigration office now requires the letter to be replaced by a certificate, they should issue one free of cost, and if THAT one is lost, then a new one must be issued at a cost to the citizen.. The OP refused because she HAD the original documents that had served her well all of the years she had been through this process. done and done.. and if a junior ranking member of the civil service was arguing with a senior member of the civil service, some type of actions should be taken against the junior officer.. a letter placed on file, in the case of this happening again, etc.. but.. as said somewhere earlier.. get your foot in the door, it seems to not matter what you do once you are in, you don’t get out, no matter what you do.. Shameful

Islandgal2476……. Mr. Security Guard became involved because Mr. Percy Pig (junior officer) left the desk and on my return was not there initially. When Percy returned he was discussing the issue with his superior and turned to the guard and said ” am i not telling the truth’ to which Mr. Guard took it on himself to become involved, bearing in mind that he was licking his mouth with another employee at the time of my exchange with Percy. The senior made the said same statement ‘why is the security guard getting involved, he is there to do security?’ This is how people business is spread through Barbados, these people feel it is there right to get involved, but if they minded their own business at their own door step and not other people Barbados would be a better place.

WHAT is BARBADOS coming to ??
Nobody seems to be listening
It is fairly scary

“In the Tom Adams time that immigration officer with his Percy behaviour would have been transferred to the MTW or Metal. No disrespect but that was the measure on the totem pole”
i respectfully beg to disagree david and posit that the already inadequate management practices at the immigration department were escalated by political buse during the time mr nigel barrow was in charge.

Many like you Simple Simon don’t really get it. That letter was paid for 30 years ago when the father applied for naturalization for his children. The cost at that time was around $100.00 If that letter is no longer acceptable by the same people who issued it they should upgrade it automatically without cost! Do it and send it out by post or call her to collect it. I could understand if it were lost then she would have bear the cost of replacing it.

the queen needs to be removed as our monarch.!for one.
screw her and all the millionaire former slave owners.
barbados is still owned by the former slave owners.
are you all so stupid as to let in more.
back for a another go.
where is the maid and the gardener today dear the toilet needs cleaning.
well off to lime grove to buy a 1000 dress.
too da loo.

So Harry….. what am I and many other Citizens by Decent classed as in your eyes?????? I have lived and worked, paid taxes and NIS since I came here 16 years ago. We are entitled to CITIZENSHIP threw our parents. It is that type of thinking that holds BIM back, returning national, citizen by decent etc all have something to offer this island. But This is not the issue, the issues is the Percy Pig is a dam fool….full stop.