Dear Editor,
I wish to respond to the letter from the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) of February 23 (‘The GPO does not process birth, death and marriage certificates’), and Lydia Persaud’s letter of February 21, in relation to birth/death certificates for applicants.
When I saw the GPOC’s letter I went back and confirmed that Ms Persaud obviously knew the system and was very accurate in her complaint. Yes the GPOC is an integral part of the system!
I may have briefly referred to this before but some persons may not know of all the facts, unfortunately, apparently, including the GPOC. During the decade of the ʼ80s the General Register Office (GRO) was assisted by the then Dr Ibbott’s Guyana Management Institute (GMI) to develop the new birth certificate system. They came to the PMG George Doris-led GPOC to discuss our assistance.
The GMI/GRO team was led by Ms Edwards and the GPOC team by me. After discussing we agreed to what came to be called by the GPOC, ‘The GRO/postcode system’. An internal GPOC circular was sent out to every post office setting out the SOP. Surely someone up there can find that circular? Or ask.
That SOP included the GPOC placing one of their staff (paid by GRO) in the GRO office, at least three transmittal bags for each postal facility, a code for each post office and a three-week maximum time for certificates. Applicants were to go to their district PO and hand in the application. The PM then placed the applications in the GRO bag, sent it directly to the postal clerk in the GRO who ensured that it was properly coded and onpassed to the GRO staff for processing. The certificate was handed by GRO staff to the GPOC clerk who sent it to the correct PO in a return bag for delivery to the original applicant.
If for some reason the certificate was not found or processed an appropriate note was enclosed in the bag for the PM to tell the applicant and perhaps get more information and return for another search.
That system worked well up to when I retired and migrated in 1991. Persons familiar with it will know why the system was manipulated and possibly changed to suit other agendas. It includes the total removal of anything suggesting the use or involvement of ‘retired’ postal staff in developing the GPOC.
I personally recommended, unsuccessfully, over a year ago, a Banks DIH type brunch for retired staff and interaction with senior staff at that brunch to onpass critical knowledge and offer mentoring.
On another note, last week PMG Doris had a final sendoff. I saw many retired and past post office employees from all levels and with hundreds of years total experience interacting, and showing respect to one of their own. The GPOC management team was missing. As the first Welfare Officer (retired) asked, “You mean even the Welfare Officer didn’t show?” A previous PIRO chimed in that if she were there she would fire some of them! Of course this was consistent with the behaviour when the GPTWU held a function in memory of Selwyn Felix and the GPOC management team was a no show.
An interesting aside is that Postal and Telegraph Clerk George Doris was among the first three Post Office Training School Instructors under Coordinator JHV Craig in the sixties. Perhaps fittingly (with his family’s agreement, belatedly) The PO Training School can now be renamed ‘The George Doris Training School’.
Finally as I told a senior management functionary, the Minister needs to take steps to help the GPOC get back to the basics to improve!
Yours faithfully,
L A Camacho
