New post office woes solidify urgent need for relocation

New post office woes solidify urgent need for relocation
The General Post Office (GPO) on East Hill Street.

The general post office on East Hill Street has been placed on reduced operating hours due to an isolated power outage at the building, which has been plagued with long standing infrastructural challenges.

Operations came to a standstill yesterday after employees turned up for work and discovered that the power was off. Investigations revealed that the problem only affected the main building and officials said it is believed that an electrical issue might have been to blame.

Employees were sent home from 11 a.m.

According to Acting Post Master General Jennifer Johnson, the continued challenges have left staff unmotivated.

“Staff morale is really low,” she said.

“Employees have had their challenges here and they continue to show up to work.”

The acting post master general added that employees are awaiting the relocation of the general post office to the old Phil’s Food Services building on Gladstone Road.

Meantime President of the Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU), Kimsley Ferguson said, the union was disappointed that it was not consulted by government on the relocation.

While he said he hopes for immediate relief for employees, Ferguson acknowledged that the process could take some time.

“The challenges at the post office are not only at this location … What we want to know is what the government plans to do with the employees in the interim.”

A notice was issued by the Ministry of Transport and Local Government, which  advised that the building is currently experiencing challenges with its power supply that will effect office hours, over the next few days.

Officials said operating hours are between 8:30am and 12noon, until further notice.

About Genea Noel

Genea Noel is the news director and weeknight TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. She began working at Eyewitness News in 2018 as the newsroom editor and was subsequently promoted during her tenure. As a household name who graces the screens of thousands of Bahamian homes each night, Genea has racked up an impressive five Bahamas Press Club awards, including “The Cyril Stevenson Award for Outstanding Political Journalism” (2020), “Best Studio Live Producer” (2020) and “Best Newscast” (2018).