Workers claim contractor owes them for Corentyne Highway clean-up

Aug 21, 2018 News

Some of the unpaid workers

Several workers who were hired to slash and clear the Corentyne Road shoulders from Bushlot Village to Number 51 village are claiming that they are yet to be paid by the contractor.
According to the workers, who include a single mother of two, they have ceased work because they are yet to be paid and the contractor is giving them “the royal run around” to issue payments as he reportedly promised.
Vikash Permauloo said he was employed by the contractor from the 18th July, 2018 and was tasked with slashing the road shoulders.
“When he hire me he told me that I would be paid every fortnight at $8,000. The person who raking up is $4000. So we renting the slashing machine from Gladwyn Abdulla and we does gotta pay him $4000 from the $8000 for that, but he (contractor) end up and tell we how he gon pay we $3000 to slash and $2500 to rake up the grass.
But when pay day reach, he keep telling we next week Monday, next week Tuesday and when the week pass , he telling we the same thing again”, Permauloo said.
He stated that they were to be paid three days after the 25th July, 2018, but to date they received no funds from the contractor for the work completed. Permauloo claims to be owed over $43,000.
Another worker said that since he began working on the 18th July, the work was “going good” and at some point a conflict arose. He explained that, “we working and nothing ent up to date, and when we tell he (contractor) all he doing is driving up and down.
He told us when the work finish, three days after he will pay us and after we leff he, he end up and go and get other workers and the work end up and run till the 31st. He told us the next week, Monday to Tuesday he would’ve paid, but nothing yet, so we stop work”.
Andrew Khan, who is a father of one with another child on the way, told Kaieteur News that since the estate shut off operations, he managed to secure a job with the same contractor but after working two weeks he is yet to receive any payments.
He said, “Through friends I was given the opportunity to work with him as a slasher. When we first start he told us $6000 (per day) but I queried with some people and they said they were given $8000 and he has agreed to pay $8000 and then he change it to $6000. He owe me $46,000”.
Khan explained that he is in need of the money to take care of his family, but he is unsure whether he will be paid or not.
The female single parent, Anastacia Collins relayed that she depended on the job and what she earned from the days of working, “he told me that ‘as soon as the cheque change’ he will pay, and he bin tell me Friday gone, but after me nah see nothing, I call he Saturday and he tell me he deh overseas still. According to her, the contractor told her she would be paid $2500 to rake up the shoulders and she has since worked two weeks as well.
The workers were to be paid some two weeks ago.
Regional Vice Chairman Dennis Deroop detailed that in the process of evaluating the pre-qualification of the contractors, one of the requirements is the capacity in terms of finance, “that would show his capital turnover per year, bank statements, how he intends to finance the process, how he intends to engage employees and technical support and so on needed for pre-qualification”.
He added that individual is not a pre-qualified contractor.
In relation to the complaints by the workers about the contractor, Deroop advised that the workers engage with the Ministry of Labour.
Meanwhile, when Kaieteur News made contact via telephone with the contractor, he stated that payments will be made today, since he was awaiting the Ministry’s cheque.

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