Faulty equipment, poor working conditions and a shortage of vehicles at the School Meals Department (SMD) are the main factors contributing to thousands of students getting their lunches up to two hours late.That was the assertion of a group of 80 SMD workers who are being backed by the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW).After Barbados TODAY published an article on Thursday which stated that the Barbados Union of Teachers and the Association of Public Primary School Principals were demanding answers about why lunch delivery was habitually behind schedule since the start of the term, the workers reached out to this newspaper to shed light on the situation.The group’s spokesperson, who has been working in the government department for well over a decade, said her colleagues were going beyond the call of duty to ensure the nation’s children were fed but the situation at the SMD was not ideal.The worker, who did not want to be identified, explained that there were two shift systems – 6 a.m. and 10 a.m – with the former being responsible for delivering lunch and the latter tasked with preparing for the following day.
