Attorney General and Minister of Justice Justin Simon has expressed regret over a decision by high court employees to limit or stop their use of the High Court building because of concerns about ventilation and air quality.
The workers have received support for their position from the Antigua and Barbuda Bar Council, which claims that its letters to the attorney general seeking clarification on the matter have gone unanswered.
Simon said while he is disappointed with the expressions by the workers and the Bar Council on the issue, he respects their right to take a different view of the situation.
High Court matters were cancelled for two days last week after workers refused to enter the building. Since then, matters have been shuffled around to other sites, including the Magistrates Court and the Industrial Court.
At the heart of the matter is the poor air quality in the building, which has been blamed, in part, for perennial reports of illness from the workers.
In an earlier interview, Simon said that steps were being taken to remedy the situation. He also noted that some things could be fixed immediately, others would take time.
Yesterday he told OBSERVER that the most critical issues involving the air quality have been addressed, including the installation of extractor fans, and ensuring that contaminated air does not get recirculated in the building as had been happening previously.
Simon said matters such as changing windows and modifying the building’s plumbing and ducts will take a while longer.
He called the employees refusal to occupy the building unwarranted, and said this is causing serious inconvenience to members of the public who are seeking to obtain important documents such as birth certificates.
According to Simon, Bar Association President Kelvin John was present last week Thursday, when he, along representatives of Public Works Department and the Central Board of Health, met with staff at the court building and explained the situation to them.
Following this meeting, the justice minister granted the staff time off from work for the next two days.
Simon said when he returned on Monday to update staff on corrective actions taken over the weekend, the Bar Association’s Vice President Arthur Thomas was present.
The attorney general said while he will refrain from saying more on the matter now, he will, in time, issue a press release explaining what the problems at the court building are and outline what is being done about them.
(Source http://www.antiguaobserver.com/?p=67775)
