The Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCCI) has expressed concern over the low levels of customer service provided by the public sector in Berbice and around the country.
The UCCCI statement follows complaints regarding the closing of public offices during working hours to have meetings; the non-attendance to customers in seemingly well staffed offices and staff being on their cell phones or engaged in personal conversations while persons are waiting.
The statement said the organization was not attempting to highlight all public sector staff in a bad way, but the deviants within the sector must be identified and dealt with. It also stated that the time is ripe for these agencies to reflect internally, create and enforce service standards and actively monitor and adjust compliance with these standards.
The UCCCI also said that public agencies can longer hide behind the excuses of inadequate facilities, staff and a general lack of resources since most of them now operate in working conditions that are on par and in some cases beyond what the private sector offers.
The release added that the issue of public sector staff giving persons a hard time in order to gain inducements further degrades the image of these entities.
