It is written the truth will set you free. How can the truth do its work if it blocked from coming to light? As much as I hate to say it, Watson Duke is not the problem at the Immigration Division; the attitude of the officers to their work is.
Loyalists immigration officers of "the lazy work ethic" threw in the towel. So please don't do us a disservice by arresting them or forcing them back to their stations. For heaven's sake, fire them! Immigration reception is worse than landline phone services of 40 years ago. The service those people give is maddening.
These workers are rude, obnoxious, uncouth, unrefined, slow, pedantic, uncaring, ungracious, vexing, pugnacious and pleasant-customer-service-experience-challenged. We can't fix this problem by denying it. These words sum up the dreadful service from immigration officers. If immigration had a service feedback form the public would tick off these words to describe their services.
I don't want this crop of immigration officers back on the job anymore than dial Internet service of 20 years ago. Offer them VSEP and hire new service-oriented people. The Industrial Court order ought to instate proficient people, not reinstate the old boats with the big holes. The Industrial Court isn't helping to grow the economy or fix the long-term situation faced by the working public by ordering this crop of workers by to their stations.
The real ordeal the public faces has to do with the public sector service quality and efficiency. Not mere access to immigration officers. The public is fed up of hearing lame inefficiency excuses such as, "Officer X is not present on the day to provide a service, therefore, that service is inaccessible." It's sick of hearing "Officer X is out of the building, or on extended lunch, therefore, business is stalled till Officer X returns."
It's weary of inefficiency phrases such as "the document isn't ready yet," "you will have to reapply," "your form is incomplete," "come back in two weeks," "the cashier didn't come to work." Or "we're not sure when your application will be processed," "we might have lost your application," "you didn't sign your application," "this branch doesn't provide that service," "you scratched the form so we didn't process it," "you folded or used the wrong ink on the form so we didn't process it," "your documents need government stamps from ministry X before we look at them."
Get real. You're getting paid to deliver a service to help generate income in the non-energy sector so we can generate non-energy income as well. Drop the excuses and deliver or clear out your desk for a competent replacement to do your job.
Sarah Parks,
via e-mail