Protesting staff of Public Works Corporation (PWC) is to get some financial relief as a sum of over EC$300,000 was made available by the government on Thursday to have them paid, Minister for Public Works and Ports Ian Pinard has said.
Speaking on the Heng Program on privately-owned Kairi FM on Friday, Pinard said staff should get paid by Friday.
“In fact the treasury released some money the government was owing PWC for a job done and yesterday they got a cheque of over EC$300,000 … so we are expecting payments to be made to staff today and I am expecting the protest to cease,” he said.
Pinard noted that the government is very concerned about the situation adding that anyone who has not been paid for two months would have some serious difficulty with their employer.
Staff of the PWC have been protesting over the past few days saying they have not received pay for over four fortnights.
On Friday General Secretary of the Public Service Union (PSU) Thomas Letang told DNO that he is not aware of any payments and a new approach will be formulated on Tuesday next week if the protest action is not hitting its mark.
He also said he has not been contacted in relations to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was to be signed between the union and the PWC management, which would layout a framework for the tackling some of the problems that are plaguing the PWC.
“So we will review the situation next week Tuesday and decide on how we intensify our efforts,” Letang said.
This is a temporary arrangement Pinard stated a few articles ago that, expenditures are higher than income for the Public Works Corporation in its present construction. This simply means that their employees will be experiencing more turmoil shortly.
It is easy to detract from the real issues at Public Works and shift the blame most of the times to the government of Dominica. However, as of Friday I was informed that the staff was told that they will receive two fortnight payments of four fortnights owed. This is beyond me given the information is that the staff asked whether three fortnights could be paid, particularly when one considers the late interest rate payments on their loans that will be deducted. The information available is that the staff request was not honored and are going to continue strike action. The highlight of the discussion surrounded a board member literally having to request that PWC management accompany him to inform staff, and had it not been for the board member the non-communication posture by Public Works Management would continue. Further, no explanation was given for two fortnight payments despite the government paying PWC $300,000.
When will the workers get paid? I cannot believe that up to Friday, May 22nd they were not yet paid. It is shocking. Please pay those guys.
Something is terribly amiss. Is there not a Law against employers who do not pay their staff, on time, for work performed? They should not have to beg for their money. Pay the employees and please do not let this happen again. It gives those in authority a bad name.
things so bright and good with them fellars, mister head and neck exploding.. reggie have competition
according to shameless mr letang is too “SOFT” and soft wont get the job done. Mr letang get your people on the streets sir. You to soft. Get hard bro.
You doh see how Tony does get Hard on the opposition?
Dominicans will take what they get from this government. Cause while these fellas around the world riding on rolls Royce, drinking expensive wine and erecting and then taking down all sorts of suspect websites all you there about labah kah twavay and all you love all you pm. remember a pastor had say ” zor toh sort?”
Whats going on Dominicans – You are being taken for a ride- These ministers getting paid and you people struggling – WAKE THE F……UP …When Pinard says the money was made available its like they doing these workers a favor instead of paying these people their salaries .
It seems the politicians of the ruling party (government)
have become wealthy so they believe they must transform public sector institutions to private corporations,who aim is to make money.while sustainability, efficient, productive and viability must always be the objectives of the the institutions.politicians who lost sight of the fact that government is a system designed to distribute public goods are on a downward spiral heading to election defeat.public good is a factor that politicians must consider when dealing with public institutions.I the case of public works department despite all it short comings it has been a major center for youth skills training in the island of Dominica.
Letang I like you bro but you too SOFT! You of all should know that people dont like “soft” things because that does not get the job done
. The DLP administration does not take you seriously unless your protest is effective. Just make sure you have a storeroom full of gas mask for them PWD fellas because there are still lots on EXPIRED tear gas up the morne.
Small payments are NOT enough to address the PWD issues. Keep up the pressure by increasing protest action. Them man just trying to get you off the streets by paying a pittance so don’t be fooled my friend. Only hardness will get it done
Assertive, NOT Aggressive!
The Minister of Public think that he can take us for a ride. Jack drunk but he is a not a fool.
I cannot believe this DNO!! You guys have written this article dated 22nd May as if this is today’s news when this is news from Friday last week!!! The money was promised for Friday last or Monday this week and still has not been paid to them!! Come on man……..this government needs to take responsibility for its failings!!! Pay the people for their work done!!
pay them and fire them for not working as should.
Truckers and the road gangs that need to protest now. The amount of money pwc owing these plp it not funny. It is high time these plp start to sue all you for the millions the corporation owing them for years.
If it is not broken do not fix it! Why did Labour mess with the Public Works Department which served Dominica well for most of our lives, all those years before this Labour government? Since the creation of this PWC by this Labour government the Public Works Department has been sick!
The government released SOME of their payments??? So where is the rest of it? In the hairy bank??
At the same time the employers, thru. a govt. employed spokesman complain about excessive sick leave, the country’s biggest employer, the govt. is not enforcing its 100% owned PWC to pay its workers their outstanding wages. What a dichotomy, what a unreal situation! How to motivate people?
I like how “some financial relief as a sum of over EC$300,000 was made available by the government on Thursday ” just appears when people stick up to the governing bodies nonsense