Staff of the Immigration Department should be working in their new headquarters from April 3.
General secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Roslyn Smith, said last week they got correspondence that the building at Barbados Tourism Investment Car Park complex on Princess Alice Highway was handed over from the contractors last Tuesday. She said they were hoping to have staff installed after the Easter holiday.
Smith said they had originally been given March 6 as the handover date, but received the keys one week later than anticipated.
Smith said she was trying to speak to Chief Immigration Officer Wayne Marshall to get an update on the actual transition date, and to meet with the shop stewards who had requested a meeting. Additionally, Smith said the NUPW expected to visit with Immigration Department staff between today and the end of the week.
The Immigration Department is located at Careenage House, Wharf Road, but that building was condemned several years ago. It was announced in November 2016 that the department would be moved to a new location by June 2017. However, delays in the renovation work led to protest action, including a two-day work stoppage on January 19 and 20 this year. (LK)
