Renward Wells
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
TRANSPORT and Local Government Minister Renward Wells confirmed yesterday that the General Post Office has been shredding mail, but said the exercise has been consistent with international standards. He characterised the mail that has been shredded as “undeliverable.”
Mr Wells said in 1974, the Bahamas acceded to the United Postal Union, which sprung from the 1874 Treaty of Bern and which sets rules and standards for the handling of mail among countries. He said from that sprung the country’s Post Office Act.
He said: “The Post Office rules offer prescriptions for the treatment of undeliverable letters, post cards, small packets, printed and commercial papers or samples as well as parcels depending on their origin. In each case the law ultimately provides for their retention and resale (if they are of value) or for their destruction (if they are of no value). The conventional means of destruction is shredding. The rules authorise the postmaster general to make decisions as to their disposal (either immediate, after one month, after two months, or up to one year) on a case-by-case basis.”
Mr Wells said the deliberate destruction of undeliverable mail happened last month November 1 and 2.
“Customers can be assured that the Post Office Department takes the security and delivery of mail very seriously and that operations remain within the ambit of the law,” he said. “To assist our efforts, all customers are encouraged to clear their private post boxes regularly. The Ministry of Transport and Local Government under this minister has resolved that the standard of the post office will be restored to one that will regain the respect of our international partners. Postal workers and the Bahamian public have been in excess of three years without an adequate means for providing this essential service.”
His statement came days after Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) President Kimsley Ferguson raised concerns about shredding in a report by Eyewitness News.
“Instructions were given by the postmistress to bring mail from various post offices to the East Hill Location to have them shredded,” Mr Ferguson said previously. “This is indeed a concern because I’ve been having challenges with my mail personally and so has the union.
“We haven’t been getting them in a timely fashion. The concern is, they are pertinent documents that may be in the mail that may have been pending for some time that may either take the life of an individual into destruction or that can take them in a positive direction. I would like this information confirmed as to who would’ve given instructions.”
On Wednesday, Mr Wells said his ministry would look into the claims raised by Mr Ferguson.
Comments
TalRussell 6 years ago
Ma comrades, I knew it why I told "PLP's Letter of Credit" Renward he might as well be out with all he "done knows" about the shredding peoplepublic personal and business mails into confetti - cause it goin' come out within hours anyways.
ThisIsOurs 6 years ago
These people tell us anything. Why didn't they post a notice with the names on all these documents they were about to destroy and ask people to come collect them with a month or so. They didn't even try. Worse yet, THEY cause the deliveries to be backed and they SELL people things without permission. This is unconscionable.
TalRussell 6 years ago
Oh dear, we beloved comrade Queen is goin get all royally suspiciously pisssed once news arrives across the pond how Her Majesty's Royal Mail was shredded into confetti. It is a crime punishable by up 5 years at Fox Hill for interfering with the delivery colony of islands Royal Mail. No damn wonder thousands upon thousands complaint letters mailed off Queen by disgruntled with Imperial reds bad governing ways - hasn't reached across pond.... have they too been confittied. The Queen's colony loyal subjects must demand a Royal Probe.
Francis_James 6 years ago
So what happened to the 2017 Christmas mails? Will the 2018 Christmas cards get shredded too?
TheMadHatter 6 years ago
Dont worry about it. It's time to dance to the goat skin.
The_Oracle 6 years ago
Undeliverable because of bad post marks or because those letter have been swimming/flooded in the Post office building? Pathetic. Can't even deliver the damn mail in the Bahamas. Th most basic and straight forward and original of all basic Government services. Really is indicative of the decline over the decades.
CatIslandBoy 6 years ago
The Postal Service in the Bahamas is a downright disgrace.
DDK 6 years ago
The Bahamas Government is a downright disgrace.
TheMadHatter 6 years ago
...and of course we get no help from international. Like for example all EU countries tell their post offices to decline mail from customers...say "Sorry but mail is not deliverable to the Bahamas until further notice, at least June 2019."
Dont accept anything for delivery and anything sent from here is just returned to sender.
Unless something like that happens our govt wont do anything. Remember the 48hr travel threat from uscembassy in the 80s? The only thing that stopped the drug circus in those days.
Schemer18 6 years ago
So what about the Universities around the world sending your Original Degree by the post office? This government is the WORST ever of recklessness in a Bahamian History.
TheMadHatter 6 years ago
What you need degree for? There aint no jobs.
ThisIsOurs 6 years ago
That would classify as "something of value". They sold it
ohdrap4 6 years ago
In 1992, my father was in a remote country and needed a blood sugar monitor. So I bought one and put it in a package. It never arrived and the post office in a 3rd world country confirmed with the post office here that there was no record of it.
I went to the post office here and downstairs, the package which I had paid 35 dollars to send was sitting there on the table, I recognized it because i stuck a purple ribbon on it. I never got any money back from them, as i needed it right away. I went to Fedex next to the Central Bank and paid 60 dollars to send, and he got it in 6 days (Customs over there held it for 3 days).
Never sent any packages with them anymore.
Once i heard a man say it took them 2 years to deliver a fruitcake his mother sent to him. It was full of maggots.
TheMadHatter 6 years ago
Can we get them to build one of these in central Eleuthera? Please? Pretty please?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-4…
DDK 6 years ago
Excellent idea, but why not start with the western half of the big island to our south-east?
TheMadHatter 6 years ago
USA will never allow Andros to develop because of the AUTEC submarine base there which protects a secret ocean floor tunnel which leads deep inside the Earth to the old City of Atlantis interstellar base. The location and unlock codes for this were obtained from the saucer which crashed at Area 51. We must simply be content with the spin-off technology such as microwave ovens and flat screen TVs.
screwedbahamian 6 years ago
It becoming that the Government has all the RIGHTS and the citizens have none, Zippo. Its the same procedure as the Millions of dollars being held in " DORMANT ACCOUNTS" that the Government is now claiming, without proof of publically notifying the account holders or surviving relatives, if the account holder is deceased of these funds. The banks held theses funds with a fiduciary responsibility, and it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure that they be carry that out to the End meaning that the funds are returned to the rightful owner (s). The same apply to the mail. In the absence of not returning the undeliverable mail back to the sender, pubic notification must be given to the intended receiver of the mail to claim it before it is destroyed. Also does non valuable, mean that every piece mail is open and if there is not a cheque or cash in the letter it is destroyed. What is the purpose of having to purchase a stamp from the government (tax) to mail a letter if the Addressee may never be received.
bogart 6 years ago
MONKEY ONLKE.....WHO DIED ...AND GAVE THESE PROPLE WHO REALLY IS PUBLIC SERVANTS...SERVING DA PEOPLE.....NOT....CIVIL SERVANTS.....WHICHININ DEY LIKES TO USE ...CLOUDING THEIR JOB OF SERVING THE PUBLIC.......WHO GAVE THEM DESE DICTATOR POWERS....???.....AINT NOBODY HAS ......NO... RIGHTS TO DESTROY YA MAIL...HOW DOES DIS MAKE DA COUNTRY LOOK IN THE EYES OF ERRY FOREIGN....NATION....INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION.....BUSINESSES......ERRY BUSINESS SENDING MAIL...RECEIVING OVERSEAS MAIL.....CRITICAL........LEGAL PAPERS....CONTRACTS....CHAMGE IN CONTRACTS.......TERMS......ONE OF A KIND .....FINAL NOTICES....LOSS OF FINANCIAL DATA....BUSINESS DATA......VOTING PROXIES .........WHAT HAS BEEN SHREDDED.......???.....MUDDOES ....,!.,!.,
Chucky 6 years ago
There is no hope for our country unless we get more civilized people in power. Us black folk jus can't run anything.
We are not much different than the worst African nations ...
Sad to say, but most obvious that we'd be better off to let whitey run tings....
sheeprunner12 6 years ago
Your monkey onkle??????? .......... LOL
OMG 6 years ago
With all due respect he has inherited a mess but the Minister is talking nonsense. You would be quicker strapping your letters to a turtle for delivery rather than this mess of a Post Office. As for shredding mail if you believe for one moment that everything shredded is undeliverable then the men in white coats need to talk to you. Fact I had an international newspaper subscription years ago. Received two and then nothing else. Newspaper company traced every delivery to Nassau Post office. Fact #2. Had a subscription to auto magazine. Never received one. So not only are P.O. employees not doing their job some are also pilfering periodicals and the like. For any business to rely on sending bills out by mail then it is the road to ruin.
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years ago
Renward Wells is a bald-faced liar, not to mention an utterly incompetent, pathetic and disgraceful fella. The people in his constituency who elected him should be most ashamed of themselves. Just ask him to articulate the strategy being employed to deliver the many mounds of accumulated undelivered mail that was deliverable but never delivered. Better still, just ask him to show the public the many many mounds of deliverable mail that should exist had it not been shredded under a sustained massive shredding exercise known to him, the union leaders and most GPO workers. What's his explanation for the simple fact that most owners of P.O. Boxes will quickly tell you that they have not received mail they were expecting for the better part of a year? What's his explanation for the fact that many businesses have given up on mailing bills to their customers? LMAO
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