Former Public Officer Still Waiting for Mold Illness Compensation

Former public officer Rose Mary Tillett became ill after reportedly being exposed to mold at the Income Tax Department building where she worked.  Tillett had reportedly asked several times to be transferred from the building, but those requests were not granted. As her health deteriorated, she sought medical treatment in Mérida, Mexico, and was left with mounting medical expenses.  She later sued the Government and won her case. Seventeen months after the court’s decision, however, Tillett says she is still waiting to be paid. When the matter was raised today, Minister of the Public Service Henry Charles Usher first sought to correct what he described as a misrepresentation of the case in the media. Usher clarified that the events that led to Tillett’s illness and legal claim occurred during the former United Democratic Party administration.

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service: “There was a matter of Ms. Rosemary Tillett. I don’t know if you’re aware of it. A case that was taken to the High Court and she got a judgment in her favor. But Channel 7 said, and I want to be clear, that she wrote the Ministry of Public Service numerous times and did not get any answer. To be clear those letters and the medical boards were done in a previous administration. ‘Cause it made it sound like it was happening recently. The case happened recently, but those medical boards and those correspondences were done I believe in 2017 and 2018. So I just wanted that clarity in case people are wondering if it’s something that was happening currently. In terms of the judgment, the judgment has been passed. The government has accepted the decision of the court and we’re working out a payment schedule so that she can get the payments that she is entitled to. The judgment happened in 2025, if I’m not mistaken. So this is something that we need to see why putting the judgment into effect, enforcing the judgment might have taken longer, but it’s something that we intend to satisfy very soon.” 

While Usher could not explain why the payment has taken seventeen months, he assured Tillett that the Government will honour the judgment.  Beyond the delayed payment, the case has raised wider concerns about the condition of government offices and the health risks public officers may face when those buildings are affected by mold or other environmental problems.  Usher addressed the substance of Tillett’s complaint, acknowledging the problem of mold in the office where she worked. He said the Government is now trying to correct those types of workplace issues across the Public Service.

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service: “She was complaining about the mold in the building. It’s why we have actually made improvements in terms of rentals. We have a dedicated staff for looking at rentals, inspecting these premises, making sure that even after it’s rented that they go in there to make sure that it’s still an environment that does not cause any type of illness or so. So it’s definitely an area that we’re trying to improve on. And unfortunately, this happened to her, but she needs to get her judgment satisfied, which will happen.”