Entities which serve the public should remain open during the lunch hour

Dear Editor,

For quite some time I have been wondering about how many government and private agencies force people to waste time. I make special reference to the lunch time when these entities would cease work, closing their doors and waiting for lunch hour to end.

In the meantime customers/clients/commuters who would have taken time off to pay a bill or carry out some other simple transaction have to wait out this lunch period.

These entities that serve the public in this manner should be able to arrange for such services not to be on pause mode. Staff members who can handle such services must be utilized in a staggered arrangement so that services to the public can still be given.

We should be able to dispense with the archaic habit where staff must eat together to gossip, to name a few Licence Revenue Officers in Princes Street, the GRA in Camp Street, sub-offices for Western Union and Bill Express, some government ministries, etc.

However, we do not see the closure of stores in Regent and other streets. A skeletal staff should be assigned to look after the public.

Most banks follow that principle of not closing to the public. The most that they do is to operate a bit slowly at times.
This is something that needs to be examined by all relevant agencies in order to be more productive and respectful of those whom they serve.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address
provided)