Investigation Launched into Attack on Sanitation Service Authority Employee, Union Expresses Disgust

Police have launched an investigation into yet another unprovoked attack on a Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) employee as the island’s main public sector union records its disgust at the incident.

SSA public relations officer Carl Alf Padmore on Tuesday disclosed that a male employee was attacked by three masked men in the My Lord’s Hill, St Michael area while on the job.

He told Barbados TODAY that the attack, which occurred at around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, resulted in the worker being taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) for medical treatment.

“We can confirm that a middle-aged male employee of the Sanitation Service Authority, while carrying out his duties along the My Lord’s Hill section of the highway, was attacked by three masked men. The matter was reported to the District ‘A’ Police Station. As we speak, the employee is seeking medical attention and is quite shaken,” the SSA spokesman said earlier in the day.

“This matter is of concern to the management of the Sanitation Services Authority. We are appealing for full respect for sanitation employees across the island. This is not the first time that an employee of the SSA has been attacked while executing their duties,” he added.

The SSA has also joined its voice with others in calling for an end to violence, generally, in the country.

“We are really appealing to all those involved in violence, please stop. It is not painting a good picture for the country that we take pride in,” Padmore urged.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) which represents many of the SSA employees has condemned the act against the staffer.

“NUPW frowns on that kind of behaviour. Everybody deserves to be able to work in a safe environment,” union president Kimberley Agard told Barbados TODAY.

“Time and time again, both the union and the SSA have pleaded with people to stop assaulting the workers.” (EJ)