- File
Garbage collectors at work.
Glenda Anderson, Staff Reporter
BY 2:00 p.m. each day, Alfred Devonhas lifted more than three dozen fly-infested garbage drums, cardboard boxes, buckets and dozens of 'scandal' bags laden with refuse from two communities in the Corporate Area.
One driver estimates the number of packets and containers to be about 85 based on several trips per truck and an average of two large communities for each truck per day.
Devon has one more trip to go before he can call it a day at 2:00 p.m., or maybe as late as 7:00 p.m.
But by then he would have been exposed to several types of bacteria from handling refuse often improperly packaged by householders, and against which he may have no protection.
"Right now I have four dead dogs in the back. The other day in East Great House Circle I took one out of a 7ft deep (5ft. wide) culvert and the condition was terrible.
"You have to deal with broken glass, broke bottles, sometimes you don't even know what is in there; it's sickening. Some of the drums dem you definitely see the blue 'biogas' coming out. That is what we do," one driver explained to The Sunday Gleaner, with his crew of four sidemen chipping in from time to time.
He confirmed that the workers were not wearing the protective gear.
"When the pan dem extra heavy or if the rim them rugged dem wear the gloves, but when the time dry dem don't wear any gloves. Sometimes you see them with the brand new gloves in dem back pocket. They sell them instead.
"But they don't have a choice sometimes 'cause before they had to pay for it. Up to last year we had to pay for it. A raincloak was $400, waterboots $800, $200 for gloves, clothes $500. Them nuh really murder yuh for the other things. But where the people must find money like that from? You have to put in a lot of hours, and Saturday and Sunday to make a ten cent. But all of that was unknown to the boss. That's why a whole lot a dem get fired, thank God. Is since he get these new people that we get it free."
The Sunday Gleaner drove with the Central Parks and Market CPM7 team on Thursday as the crew went on a pick up round in Fletchers Land, East Street and Conrad Lane in Central Kingston.
JUST HELPING OUT
"Fletchers Land was ugly; garbage on East Street was piled high, and we are just helping out now because the truck that normally do this, a private contractor, don't come for a while now, so this is extra," one of the collectors said.
When the team reached Lockett Avenue, the rain came down in buckets and the men huddled together in the space between the cab and the back end of the truck. None had raincoats although they say they were all issued. One elderly man went across the street shivering under a tree. His shirt was open to his stomach. He wrapped it around himself. His shoes were a crumpled mass. The other men were similarly casually dressed. Some were in old, stained shirts or T-shirts, pants and workboots. The driver was barefooted. Two of the crew wore gloves, while one man had a rubber mask hung around his neck. Inside the driver's compartment, the windows had to be rolled up but the stench from the back soon proved too much forcing them to lower the window for some fresh air.
The driver said the crew tries to stick with safety procedures, especially for "extreme cases".
In one narrow lane a small group of residents lugged loads of refuse from their yards onto a pile until it had grown quite large. The residents say garbage had not been removed in some time. Piles and piles of waste awaited. "You don't know what they have wrapped up in scandal bags coming out to meet you every day," Bulldog, one popular sanitation worker said.
"You have to smoke (cigarettes) very hard to get rid of the odour.
He says that while detergent is provided by National Solid Waste Management Authority (NWSMA) for clean ups and hand-washing, when this runs out the truck crew must find its own.
"They provide it but when it finish it take long to buy, so we just buy it out of our own pocket. The company can't afford to buy all the detergent that is needed out here."
The financial difficulties faced by the company also translate into harsher realities for the employees.
Bulldog says he has five children, with two in high school.
"Sometimes I have to put down something for five months straight to meet their demands. I don't even own a home," the 63-year-old man lamented.
George, a groundsman em-ployed to National Solid Waste Management (NSWA), says his job involves chopping bushes, cutting grass, and weeding median strips. He says he takes home close to $6,000 each fortnight, but has a health card issued by the company. Still he has had no vaccines after being with the company for 12 years.
"Is cutlass I use or the bushwhacker, so sometimes you get a pain in here (forearm) and like stones will fly up and lick you shoulder and neck, you could get some more protection but the most important thing (you eyes) cover with the goggles. But tru I doing it so long it doan come in like nothing to me now," he said."
George admits that the job is dangerous and his condition could be helped by input from a union. "If we did have a union things woulda much better for me," he says. A back-to-school loan of $15,000 will see deep cuts into his already meager salary. Vaccines and health checks are out of the question for at least another year he says.
DON'T CARE
"They don't care about the workers, they are not rated," one sideman offered, while admitting that things may change for the better under the new administration.
But one contracted worker said for now things are uncertain. "Like when we retire from here now we don't get anything besides two weeks pay, nothing. We don't pay pension. In fact you don't know what you paying for because you don't get a pay voucher, to show what you pay.
"They'll tell you are contracted, but if you have to work 8 hours a day, seven days a week, then we deserve every benefit especially when it come to health."
Island supervisor of the National Workers Union (NWU), Vincent Morrison, said while garbage collectors suffer health risks and problems with terms of pay and conditions of labour they cannot be properly represented by a workers union.
"A couple of them came to us for help. We arranged a meeting but they never showed up. They want help and we are concerned about their work conditions which are deplorable, but we can't do anything (without them). Part of the problem is the independent contract system where they are not supposed to join unions," he said.
MANY PROBLEMS
The concerns of the sanitation workers are many.
"We have so many problems. They should have a system where we get a house, or may be able to get some money to borrow. We can't join a union. We have a drivers association but we can't even get it registered because of the system, " said one worker. "The police tired to give us ticket for obstruction and while the company will assist with money for court you still lose points. And there are just some areas where the road is very narrow so you have to ride the sidewalk to go down, and the police still give you a ticket. It's hard for us."
Robbie, another driver was concerned about security for the up-coming Christmas.
"Riverton want 24-hour police. They giving us hell for Christmas gifts and we don't have it. From Portland Road to the dump, drivers under problem. If you work in the Stony Hill, Havendale, Papine, Jacks Hill, you might get little gifts, and you have to just take it and give them."
Both NSWA and Metropolitan Parks and Market workers say the holiday season holds no special promise as there will be no special token or cheer. Just more garbage and crap.
Names changed to protect identity.
