Linstead | Chaos Hits PATH Payout; Beneficiaries Left Stranded

A number of people on the government’s safety net programme, PATH, may spend Christmas without their usual financial assistance due to chaos reigning at the Paymaster outlet on King Street in Linstead, St. Catherine.

Persons have complained about visiting the location for days, only to be turned back because the company is making payment only to a small fraction of those who show up.

A system in place for persons to collect on particular days based on the letter that starts their surname has broken down.

One person, whose last name starts with “R”, said she was scheduled to collect the funds on Tuesday this week. However, she was turned back when she went there, she said.

“When I came here on Tuesday, I get the number 23 and I wasn’t allowed to go in to receive payment. They did not let in 20 persons [into the building to collect PATH payout]… I was there from about 6 o’ clock [in the morning] until the building closed… On Tuesday, they told us to come back today (Thursday). Now, we are here the security [guard] is saying they are not serving more than 30 persons [on PATH]… We have over 200 persons right here [today],” she explained.

She added: “If they (management of the Paymaster branch) were dealing with people accordingly when they come on their day [based on their surnames], we wouldn’t have this chaos right now… It is a disgrace because people with even surnames starting with ‘B’ are bundling out here [to get their PATH payout today].”

The Beacon has been trying to get a response from the management of the Paymaster outlet as well as the Ministry of Labour and Social Security that is responsible for PATH.

A number of people, over time, have complained about what they consider to be the poor service they get from employees at the particular location, where other financial services are also offered.

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