Workers call in Police over non-payment

$120M road slashing contract

Several workers who were hired to clear the Corentyne Road shoulders from Bush Lot to Number 51 Village have said they are yet to be paid by the contractor, Derek Basdeo. On Saturday, the disgruntled workers went to the home of the contractor, who is also an executive member of the Alliance For Change (AFC), to seek payment but to no avail. This prompted the workers to seek the intervention of the Police at the Alboin Police Station.

According to the workers, they have ceased work since they are yet to be paid and the contractor is giving them what they described as “the royal run around” for their money.
According to Andrew Khan, after the Rose Hall Sugar Estate closed its doors, he was able to secure a job with the AFC executive but after two weeks of work, he is yet to be paid.
He explained that the initial arrangement was for him to be paid at a rate of $6000 per day but after he spoke with some of the other stashers, he returned to Basdeo and the agreement was then shifted to $8000 per day. However, Basdeo later reneged and is only offering $6000 per day. According to him he is now owed in excess of $46,000.
Meanwhile, another worker, Vikash Permauloo, said he was employed by Basdeo from July 18, 2018 and worked continuously without pay.
“When he hire me he tell me that I would get pay every fortnight. He promise me $8000.” Permauloo said he was employed to slash and those who were employed to rake were promise $4000 per day.
The man claimed that he has been renting the slashing machine. “We does got to pay him $4000 from the $8000.”
According to Permauloo after those arrangements were made he was informed by Basdeo that he will be paying $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 out he telling we the same thing again,” he explained.
According to Permauloo, many of the workers were expected to be paid on July 28. He says to date, he is owed in excess of $43,000.
Several workers told personal stories of the difficulties they face on a daily basis because on non-payment.
“When I was home I did not have to find money to go to work, but I had to borrow everyday to go to work and now I can’t get back the money I spend,” one of the workers said.
A mother of two related that she has been depending on her payments to begin purchasing items for her children to attend school at the start of the new school year.
Meanwhile, Basdeo via a telephone interview, said the workers were going to be paid on Monday. He said he is awaiting payment from the Public Infrastructure Ministry. However, on Monday evening, when this newspaper contracted several of the workers, they related that they were still not paid. (Andrew Carmichael)