Less than two weeks after experiencing a flood at the main post office building on East Hill Street, employees gathered outside the dilapidated structure Monday morning while servicemen repaired the broken air conditioning system.

"Everyday there's a different problem here at this post office. The air conditioning is down one day, the water is down [the next], there's a problem every day," said Curtis Hanna, a Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) shop steward at the post office.

"Apparently the AC was down since Friday. As we entered the door this morning it had a mold scent and it was very, very hot. Outside is hot so inside is worse than outside."

Hanna said the staff is fed up.

"The morale is very low. The condition here is very, very bad and the staff does want to work, but not under these conditions," he said.

BPSU President John Pinder questioned how government could allow employees to work in a facility he believes should be demolished.

"It just goes to show you how accommodating the staff members are here," Pinder said.

"Despite the fact that the air conditioning malfunctioned from Friday, the staff still was willing to complete work on Friday, hoping that when they left work something would have been done over the weekend to get the air conditioning up and running again.

"Again we've reached the point where this building has to be demolished and they need to rebuild something. So they might as well make up their mind to do that."

Pinder said the building is even a hazard to the general public.

"Sometimes slabs of concrete drop from the roof. I don't know why the government is going to wait until something real serious happens to an individual before they really decide to get us out of this building," he said.

Minister of Labour Shane Gibson, who has responsibility for worker accommodations, has proposed several remedial measures while a new facility is being prepared to house the post office.

Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin, who has purview over the post office, said she is very concerned that people continue to work in conditions that are objectionable.

"I do not support that, and as a result they are on reduced hours," she told The Nassau Guardian yesterday.

"My position is, where [the air conditioning] is not working that people are allowed to go home and not work in that position."

Paige McCartney, Guardian Staff Reporter

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