Labour Ministry still to release findings after probe of call centre health scare

The Ministry of Labour is yet to release its report on Qualfon’s Goedverwagt-ing call centre, from where more than 18 workers were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital almost three months ago.

Although Minister of Labour Dr Nanda Gopaul had confirmed to Stabroek News that the report had been completed and the Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle stated that the ministry was tying up “loose ends” since last month, the findings are yet to be publicized.

All efforts to elicit a further comment on the state of the report from both Gopaul and the Chief Labour Officer proved futile over the past week.

Meanwhile, a Qualfon official told this newspaper that “Qualfon continues to work with the ministry in supporting their efforts, and we’re confident that the ministry is making its best effort to perform a complete and thorough investigation.”

The episode took place on May 20th, after Qualfon’s mechanical ventilation system failed to activate following a black-out, a half of an hour after the 4pm shift at the call centre commenced.

According to the Guyana Fire Service, the failure to evacuate employees from the building in a timely manner led to more than 18 of them being rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Some were in an unconscious state and others emerged out of vehicles screaming and panting. Most were treated and sent away.