After seven months of literally begging to be paid members of the Tipper Truckers Association who has been working on the problem-plagued Pont Casse to Melville Hall Road Rehabilitation Project received payment on Friday.
President of the Association, Earl Laudat, told DNO that a check has been made out to the association which in turn will pay the truckers.
“Yes we got paid, I am at the trucker’s office right now and I can say again we got paid,” he said. “The money was put in our account in the bank.”
The matter has been a long simmering issue between the truckers and the government, which they say should be paying them.
“I think we should go look for the Bishop and the Pope now, so they can call the president of Dominica and at that time he can maybe take a stick and get to the Minister because he said he (the minister) doesn’t want to comment on that matter,” Laudat told DNO earlier this week.
But in a statement on Friday Public Works Minister Rayburn Blackmoore stated that the truckers are subcontracted to Emile Gaddarkhan et Fils, the main contractor, which makes payment claims to the “Consultant of the project for certifying and passing on to the funding agency, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) through the Ministry of Public Works, Energy and Ports. The certified claim of the contractor is submitted to the AFD Regional Office in Martinique for payment.”
Laudat said Blackmoore’s statement is no different from what the truckers have been saying all along. “Is there anything the minister said in the news that is different from what we are saying?” Laudat queried. “Isn’t it the same minister who said he doesn’t want to comment on that? Isn’t it the same minister that said government not owing truckers?”
The payment is for January, February and March.
How about this? I suggest that when a ministry can’t pay its bills that the minister responsible for the ministry should not get paid either.
They got paid only for Jan Feb and Mar; What about Apr May Jun Jul? They money cannot evn repay all the the loans.
Things are really Brown in this country. The face of that truck should be repainted in dark brown.
R–Rip off
E–Evil
D–Devalue, disgrace, and denature.
You got paid January, Febuary and March… What to April May June and July?
All you are a bunch of jokers
Enough is enough !time to put a boot on and Kick out the Shoe!
Laudat next time go on your knees outside the financial centre
Do u guys really don’t understand the meaning of the word DICTATOR….well let me break it down for you in a very shot farm.you keep people starved promise then u will take care of them,when they on the verge of dieing you throw them a dry crackers biscuit and the will love u for every they forget all the suffering and struggle they had in the past…..open your mind to what am saying and u will understand.
So now the Truckers are going to forget all the problems they went through to get paid and how we help them put pressure on the laid-back Gov’t. Hope you do not suppport DLP come next election. Well guess what! If you guys help put this lazy administration back in office the same thing will happen to you all, but we won’t assist in getting your payment.
Don’t forget to continue to put pressure to get these gus out of occice.
Is it true that the contractor recieves his payment on time as per his claims, but in an effort at maximizing his return on the project, places that money in a short term fixed deposits, where it earns him big interests rates and so after three to six months he then pays the truckers and other service providers what rightfully belongs to them without interest. The service providers will eventually get their money, but before that the contractor made the money work for him in a short term fixed deposit before passing it on. Just asking?
the word should be cheque not check.PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPELLING PLEASE.
These people are already owing seven months of bills, by the time the balance is paid they will be owing MORE than the amount’s worth. WHAT A SHAME. I bet EVERY LAST ONE ON THE TOP OF THE LADDER PAYS THEMSELVES. SHAME ON YOU GUYS.
The payment is for January, February, and March, and the truckers are rejoicing “WE GOT PAID”. Although it is a relief, I think the truckers should say ‘HELL NO, NO MONEY NO ROADS’. This is NOT CUBA nor VENEZUELA. STRIKE and PROTEST. Your kids need to be fed, cleaned, and have a roof over their heads, if you do not get paid to maintain them they WILL do all the wrong things to satisfy their needs.
GO BROTHERS, MARCH ON DOMINICA’S CAPITOL HILL.
Every thing just upside down and inside out in that country.
As Rayburn knw they going to get part payment he run DBS and run his mouth….anything to blame UWP talking about UWP instigating the truckers to act violently….boy Rayburn every rope have an end and for peace sake truckers go on DBS and Kairi next time cause if it was not for Qfm all you would not get paid and yet still all you disrespectful enough to say all you not running anybody agenda for them…the patriots of Q doh have time to plead all you case for all you either or run all you agenda….In November when all you brokes again and bank calling all you all you will run Q again to beg for the rest from April onwards….Dumby-in-cans
Truckers should demand interest on the money. So where was that money all the time? is it politics again?
You got paid Mr. Laudat?…really??…what a joke!!!
So we. Come beggerzzzzz now LORD have mercy
Just thought of a money making scheme. Open a Pay-Day Bank and advance the truckers the money. Charge a low interest rate of 2 per cent per week and direct Gaddarkhan to pay the Pay-Day Bank directly. Problem solved!
i guess they have to protest again for april, may june and now july
That’s when they find themselves on Q95. They should make them suffer more. If at all they were suffering.
Well look pappy show in little Dominica so Dominica is now a begging Industry scaritte should fire Rayburn he is too incompetent and hostile truckers he will come back and ask all u to vote for him next election. When he comes tell him begggggggg on bended kness
all you are responsible for the miserable state in which Dominica is in.Skerrit political footballs.
In the next two months,go to Q95 and cry again. All you are pieces of plastics, stooges,political puppets of an oppressive regime. THAT HOW THEY NEED TO DEALI WITH YOU ALL.
They went on Q95 n now they got payed…I am sure all of them are going to go quiet and support Blackmoore and labour who wash they hands on all off them….Now who’s joking ??
Its time for nation building, 13+yrs of Labour/Skerrit is enough!!
finally the begging is over i am relieved but what about the rest?
i think the truckers are relived.
Relieve? Garcon, is only up to March they are paying them. They are still behind. Gaddarkhan should pay them interest on that money, so long they’re waiting and now they feeling grateful? Poor beggars. Not one word of apology I’m hearing. They are just having them on a string.
It is unfortunate that the Truckers after waiting for approximately seven months would accept payments for only three months. I would not be surprised that almost eighty percent of the money received, will go towards bank payments including late payments. I cannot understand why the Truckers are so weak, they should not have accepted nothing less then full payments for the seven months including late payments.
They are all accomplices of…….
The roads are falling apart and people’s livelihood depends on these roads. You are right, after begging for SEVEN MONTHS the truckers should have NEVER accepted partial payment. They did not even get paid for four, five, or six months. Wait a minute, next week they will be in the begging line again.
is now ppl going to harass d truckers dem for their money…as they get it, it finish…no rest for d poor!
There is no question about that.
DNO , what is privity of contract
Toilet related …I guess?
Google for results. I will and get back to you.
I am happy that these guys get some relief. Should they still be fuming? absolutely still ready to explode. By the time the truckers take care of their bills , credit etc they are still in the red zone while waiting for 4 more months of salary.
” The government is now grand standing and all should know that this is hubris , assinine , arrogance and boldfaceness That is the biggest bowl of crack ever. This a government project; the service providers are citizens of Dominica who are unable to support themselves and families now all of a sudden Blackmore is posturing for back patting praises for the government. Are you kidding me So the people’s government allowed 7 months to past by not withstanding Blackmore telling the Truckers he wash his hand. This is disgusting just as much as the current band of brigands in government.
Talk about a let down – The government ” Liaising with the foreign agency to have the funds transferred directly to the Dominican Bank” What happened throughout the 7 months ? Had the money been sent to a foreign bank and if so why is the contractor not fired for violating our labor laws and not honoring the schedule agreement in the contract / revised contract? Why is the government not saying the things that would indicate that the contractor is in violation of the contractual agreements. Why is the contractor not paying LD’s ( liquidated damages). After all this is the second time around on this very same project that the schedule had not been met.
Isn’t it the same government through Blackmore who told us that two additional subcontractors had been added to the project to insure scheduled completion ( December of 2012). Well if the government could add two subcontractors to the project which meant added project cost then why it is that the same government was powerless for 7 months in getting the moose boy truck drivers paid? Just asking. I didn’t go to school or the seminary but common sense is what I learned under Wias Mango Tree in the Mang -Zicack Portsmouth.
Follow the money and we will see that this money came from the government pa pierce agency. Money from one pot drop into another – recall the the money the country received as loans just a few weeks ago.
You hear lie, Lie that is Lie Teacher poppin say if you tell lies after lies the joke remains on the liar. The worse thing is that liars cant keep a story straight. Ask Tony A, Lennox L and Roosvelt S – see how much energy they spend lying and conniving
I agree with you Mamizoo!!! But their attitude is the same everywhere!!! Throughout Dominica!!!! ‘We were born labour, we will die labour!!!’What a ting eh!!!! Hmmmmmmmmm!!! I wonder if the slaves had kept on saying ‘We were born slaves, we will die slaves’ whether we would have managed to be free today of the chains!!!! Well, we are free of the chains but not free of the mentality!!!! We are free of the chains but not free of the bondage!!!!! We are not free of the mental slavery my people!!!! We still are thinking like slaves!!!!! Give me a lickle somefing and I will die for you!!!! My goodness!!! Look at the people in Portsmouth!!! The guy shouting ‘We were born into Labour, we will die voting Labour! But if this Labour government does not help us with what we want we will bury Labour’ or words to that effect!!!! Hmmmmmmmm…….The people need to hear the speeches by persons of honour from the past labour parties like E O Leblanc and Mr. Loblack and compare them with those of today!!! Tell me then why would you associate the two with each other when the long gone gentlemen wanted to the betterment of a people and their mental abilities to chart their futures, a course of dignity and opportunity for all, equality for all when the government of today is teaching people that development of concrete around them is more important to gauge them by than their ability personally to earn a living and to better themselves! Come on people………..As Bob said, ‘Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!…….’ ‘Wake up and live now!! Wake up and live!!!’ And so much more!!! Educate yourselves on your simple rights to self determination and take up your responsibility to chart a better course where you are actually involved in taking your country forward………BE VIGILANTE!!!! One love…….
what about the rest?lol.
This is a psychological game, don’t you see. They are holding what is rightfully theirs as a carrot to make them work again with the promise of another delayed payment. How can we possibly speak of a developed country that allows its people to be treated like this? Worse than slavery!
Later bro, LATER.
They don’t deserve it. That’s what they voted for.