Pink slips for workers on Ports Dev. Project
“They more than two months behind according to the Minister (Hon. Mark H. Vanterpool) and they laying off workers? What is really going on? That project seems really be having problems that they are not telling us about,” said a concerned person who asked not to be named.
It was alleged by other informed sources that the project currently is way above the number of employees that were initially projected for in the proposal. “As far as I know or I should say I was made to understand that for this stage of the project they had proposed to have about 60 workers and they are way over with in excess of 100 and so they cutting down right now,” the source said.
Among those that have since been target of the laying off was a female engineer according to our reliable sources however attempts to reach this individual or others affected were futile.
On the other hand when this news site contacted Mr Percy Rhoden of the contracting company Meridian Construction Company after learning of the plight of persons, he was shocked to have learnt that this has become an issue to persons.
Speaking with Virgin Islands News Online yesterday afternoon he said that there is no need for persons to be worried as in projects of such nature persons are constantly laid off and persons are hired. He also made it clear that despite what shuffling there may be with the staffing the project execution is not being affected.
According to Mr Rhoden, “All I could say to you is people get laid off and people get hired. In the construction business people get laid off and people are hired….it would never affect the progress of the project at all… that’s it. We hire people, we lay off people, we re-hire people. At times we got to be able to save monies somehow.”
He further said, “If there is something we need to import and that part of the project is at a bit of a go slow because we don’t have a part then we just have to lay them off and when we get the part we get them back.”
Efforts to reach Chairman of the BVI Ports Authority Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline were futile as he was said to have been out of office at the time and when contacted Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) could not properly speak with this news site as he was in the middle of a meeting at the time.
21 Responses to “Pink slips for workers on Ports Dev. Project”
Aside from this, where is the governor to inquire about procedure and corruption identified in the audit??
Now the premier is in London, smooth-talking. This is not a responsible government and its ministers have blinders on.
In fact the female engineer that was terminated was the third engineer to leave the project!