(CMR) Jamaica's National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has reportedly lost several of its drivers over the last two years to the Cayman Islands and Canada due to better salaries, the head of the agency said.
Executive Director Audley Gordon told Radio Jamaica that while the NSWMA has been on an aggressive drive to replace the drivers, it is facing difficulty because most of the job seekers have failed the driving test.
“The test is rigorous. Maybe if I had gone for that test now, I would probably fail too. That's just a fact of life. Some of us driving for a number of years, and if we were to go back to the depot and do the test, we would have challenges,” he admitted.
“You do have times when people will go for the driving test, and for one reason or the other, they didn't make it on the first round. And we have seen in recent times we would have had people coming back disappointed; we encourage them, and on the second go, they all get through. So it's a process, and it's good to see that the system is working. If everybody went and got through, then there'd be a problem,” said the NSWMA executive director.
The issue has resulted in delayed garbage collection, with trucks sitting idle because there are not enough drivers.
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