The four Ministry of Education employees now being forced to give back the money they were mistakenly overpaid last year have expressed their ?anger and frustration? at being inconvenienced by what they see as an incompetent blunder by the Accountant General?s office.

In response, Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary Michelle Khaldun said that while she understood the employees? frustration, a number of wide-ranging investigations had been launched to get to the root of the problem and ensure such an error does not happen again.

She also expressed disappointment at the employees? decision to go public when the Ministry has made every effort to conclude the matter in a manner satisfactory to both sides.

Government conceded last week that that an error on their part resulted in four civil servants receiving bloated paycheques ? with one employee enjoying an unsolicited $14,000 salary increase.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement between Government and the Bermuda Public Services Union stipulates that salaries are to be based on a 260-day working year.

However, it is understood that the four in question, who are all employed at the Child Development Programme, work only 200 days annually but were instead paid a full salary.

Speaking to , one of the four, who did not wish to be named, said that while there is no question the money will be repaid in monthly increments which do not cause undue financial stress, they were all disappointed the Ministry had not been more candid in its public explanation for the blunder while intimating they are not the only civil servants currently being affected.

Despite the Ministry?s statements to the contrary last week, the individual also insisted the four were not formally informed they would have to pay back the money until last week.

?It is not up to the workers to work out the salaries,? the individual said.

?Everyone has agreed to pay back the money but the feeling is one of real frustration as we relied on other people to do their job properly and they haven?t ? which has now left this mess. And we were not informed of the mistake in September last year as has been stated. Two of the workers did not find out until last week when they received letters while the two others only found out when they called up to enquire why their salaries were suddenly smaller. But this has been a problem before and we?re not the only ones to be affected by errors.?

But in an statement released last night through the Department of Information and Communication, the Ministry sought to clarify the exact sequence of events. A review of salary increment reports by the Accountant General?s Office revealed that some CDP staff had been overpaid, the statement said.

Action was reportedly taken ?immediately? by notifying the Ministry and ensuring the overpayment stopped ? with the statement conceding that only one staff member was informed verbally in September when that person called to enquire about their smaller paycheque.

An investigation was apparently conducted in November last year to determine the scope of the problem within the CDP and it was found that four were affected. Following the investigation?s conclusion they were informed in writing.

An ?even more thorough, and wider, investigation? is now underway, the statement concluded, to ensure there are no similar discrepancies in employees? salaries across the entire civil service.