Sanitation man says he stood by what he believed (+video)

Ian Edwards is one of the sanitation workers who was recalled to work this month after an error was spotted in the classification of who constituted front-line workers.

He told SEARCHLIGHT that he feels happy to be back especially since he is one of the persons who triggered the matter being looked into.

After November 29 he was sent home but said he had a religious exemption pending. Edwards said it was a hard decision to make but he stood by what he believed and “believe that God will see me through.”

However, in January “When I went by the Service Commission who deal with the exemption they say (sanitation workers) not in that bracket for be vaccinated or leave work,” he recalled.

Edwards said “What happen is the lady, I can’t remember her name now, but she told me that we will have to be reinstated because we not a part of that, we not front-line workers…”

This revelation “brought a lot of joy to me,” Edwards disclosed.

“It hit shockwaves to the people and dem close to and around me, especially my family. Because – I go tell you something – I knew I was going and come back, right? But I didn’t know the time, but I knew I was going and come back becah I have faith in God and I knew he woulda see me through, Edwards added.”

“And the greater part of it is when they say that they would repay us for the time that we were home becah they are saying it was a mistake, which I don’t believe it was a mistake,” he said.

They haven’t been told as yet what figure the compensation will be or when it will be paid, but Edwards said he understands that it will be for the three months that they were home.

The 42-year-old father of four, with the youngest being one year old, said that when he was at home he spent time rebuilding his house as last year it was “washed away”.

He admitted, “It put a strain on me seeing that no monies coming in, all the money’s going out. But I have an understanding that they will repay us for all the days that we were home which is a good thing.

Their wages are over $70 per day.