Jamaica Election Workers still await payment two months after polls; Commission responds

Jamaica: The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) has released a statement on their social media acknowledging concerns raised by Election Day workers about delayed payments, assuring that the process is still underway.

In the statement issued the commission highlighted that they are “working diligently to ensure that everyone receives their payment as soon as possible.” The ECJ further noted that not all payments will be processed at the same time but emphasized that “no one will be left behind.”

The Electoral Commission of Jamaica also thanked the workers for their patience and understanding while they manage to distribute payments.

Several workers have however, reported that they are yet to receive compensation, more than two months after the polls. This has raised concerns as ECJ still hasn’t released any specific timeline for when all the payments will be completed.

Locals criticise Jamaica Election Commission

Locals, however, have been criticising the commission for not making the payments by commenting under their post. One of the users named Johnathan Lewis wrote, “This is why individuals are not interested in working as Election Day Workers. Smh You people only communicate when it suits you.”

Another user named Sha-Niel Smith said, “When it’s time for classes & work you guys reach out to us all hours in the night and we of to be guess & spelling when we’ll be paid.”

“This statement is flimsy, lacks substance and due care. A timeline MUST be given to assure trust and confidence in this statement." Using language like “as soon as possible, Is not good enough, the question one might ask is now long is a piece of string? This statement is tantamount to the piece of string scenario. Come on EOJ pull your fingers out,” another user wrote.

Graham Shanay said, “The truth is there is no money in the country, and they are prettying it up. Face reality all it's only getting worse from here on.”

Elections in Jamaica notably took place on September 3^rd, in which Prime Minister Andrew Holness secured his third consecutive term.