General Secretary of the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU), Thomas Letang, has vowed that unless matters involving staff of the Public Works Corporation (PWC) have been addressed, protest action will continue.
Protest continued for a second day at the PWC site in Goodwill on Thursday and Letang told the media that a PWC board meeting is scheduled to take place later in the day.
“The protest will continue and we will be meeting with the board at 2:30 pm and from there we will decide,” he said.
He stated that matters such as the payment of salaries will be discussed and then the situation will be reviewed.
“But the protest is not ending, it will continue until all issues are addressed,” Letang declared.
When questioned on his level of optimism on whether the issues will be addressed, Letang responded that he will be better able to address the matter following Thursday’s meeting.
For the second day staff of the Corporation abandoned work and set up a temporary shelter, on the premises of its facility in Goodwill.
The shelter also blocked the entrance to the facility.
Workers told DNO that late salaries and inconsistency with the payments of their Social Security are hindering them from living a comfortable life.
The situation is so grave, some pointed out, that whenever there is a holiday and everyone else is shopping and having a good time with their families, they are forced to go without.
One worker, who chose to remain anonymous, lamented that she had to sell her car because she was “fed-up” of the bank calling her to inform her that payment was overdue.
Another man stated that he is unable to make his family events, such as birthdays, memorable, adding that his wife was unable to have a happy Mother’s Day when all other mothers were having a good time.
“No one cares,” he said sadly.
He promised to keep protesting until all matters are addressed.
take the machine and work out plan b become a bad A
This Skerrit administration is a thorn in the side of hard working Dominicans. We must do something legally or something will do us
Some will say that this demonstration makes no sense, but when you sit and analyze the situation
it’s not fair to these workers it could happen to any one
but i will say the Government has a’lot to do with whats happening to the workers
when private contractor get all the projects what THE workers are left with “NOTHING”
so protest away..
AND MANAGEMENT NEED TO STAND UP for there workers right but then again the management playing party politics when election come and go
just a shame with whats going on
Hon . I Pinard , I believe the employees aren’t satisfied with your promises , they need to see immediate action and as such they stand in one mind to continue until this matter be solved in entirety . Enough of the inconsistency . They want to ensure that there be no repeats of delinquency . You’d want to know sir that you get paid every time pay date is due , so too the employees .
When Letang called the workers to action because it was just close to elections they were playing politics and did not give full support so as not to hurt their party so now the party continues to hurt them. Union members must learn to stand together all for one. Whatever the party in power your living comes first. You place men and women in power to make your living better as they promise on political platforms and if they fail to keep their promise you must stand together and show your disatisfaction as simple as A B C
That demonstration should be against the management team.when last they paid our SS. They over taxing workers and much more
I’m sure Mrs. Skerritt had a wonderful mother’s day! I’m sure her husband’s salary is never late. matter of fact…it probably comes early, what with the travel expenses and gifts from other nations.
Labar ka twavay indeed!
I want to make it abundantly clear that I am in no way against the protest I am in full support I neednNY salary all I am saying is that bad management of the
PWC is the main problem and not Government
Yoland, the PWC is a fully owned entity of the government, nobody else owns shares in it. It is the govt. that appoints its chairman and approves its board. So if the management is not functioning we must surely blame those who appointed them. Management goes from the top down and not the other way round, logical!
@ Yoland: I understood you were sent to Penville to work and because of your incapability I understood that management had to take you out from the project.
I understood you were given the post of maintenance manager and again because of your incapability you were moved from this post.
I understood you were a supervisor and because again you cannot perform you was moved from that post. I understood that you do not even know how to prepare an estimate yet you blame others and not your self.
I understood PWC do not know what to do with you and your new post is PR. What a shame.
Shameful to know that you fight against your co-workers playing politics. Time you speak truth to power!
Are you not a Christian? I will come this week for more information!
well well those poor poeple work had in the hot sun, and still have to protest to get what is due to them, while the on that sit in the AC get pay by the 25th of the month. come on they have bills to pay to, dominica is heading the wrong road
The government should make a deal with them pay them half they never work a full day in dominica every body works four hrs a day that’s why we are broke productivity is bad we have a bunch lazy free loaders down here . The country cannot move forward that way.
It should read
There is a purpose managers, directors, and supervisors (commonly called by peasants in the colonial days ‘driver’ serves!”
While I am at it, I would like the idiot John to tell me what does laziness have to do with the Government not paying workers for work they performed. I sympathize with the workers, nevertheless, some of them are the same people who dressed in red, and thank God for Skerrit!
In the meantime Skerrit; his entire cabinet, and his foreign divisors, some of them receiving more than fifteen thousand dollars per month have no problem getting paid! We have to be very careful what we ask and thank God for; because we usually get what we pray for!
Their should be one more civil disturbance and that should be in the Marigot and Wesley constituencies . Only then, will Skeritt take the people of Dominica seriously. You just survive the Salisbury confrontation, you should thank God no one got killed, then, you can be so corky, so dictatorial to tell the people, the meeting they had been requesting, you are going to have a meeting in their village and whether they come or not does not matter.
Thomas, the best and quickest way to obtain a resolve; is to call the nation to a general strike! Shut the island down; until Skerrit and his government falls!
What is good for the goose is good for the gander: Savarin the president of Dominica once caused a civil war in Dominica, in which people got killed. The civil war he created led to the resignation of Patrick John, and his government. Savarin is now a member of the Labor Party, the same Labor Party he overthrew more than thirty years ago!
As long as the Labor Party remains in control of our country, exactly what you are protesting will continue to occur over, and over, and in reality henceforth!
It is time to chop off the head of the slimy snake, rally the nation and overthrow Skerrit and the labor who are nothing more than obstacles in the way of progress in the country!
There you go again, spewing your excitable nonsense. Lift yourself from the US of A or wherever your sorry derierre is perched and come and get our hands dirty instead of constantly pontificating on things you know absolutely nothing about. You and others keep prattling on about politicians not paying workers on time and overthrowing Skeritt. Clearly you and those like-minded sad souls who are so blinded by your hatred, and yes, jealousy, of Skeritt and other Government ministers haven’t noticed that ministers do not receive their salaries before, but at the SAME TIME as others on the government payroll! If the problem was a Government problem why do you think you are not hearing nurse, teachers, policemen, firemen, administrative staff, etc, all government employees complaining about late or non-payment of their salaries or non-payment of their social security contributions? It is high time you, and people like Letang stop the politicking with these people’s lives and livelihoods.
This is sad hearing these stories of these hard working people of Dominica while these bastards of politicians have five vehicles, three homes and getting paid hefty salary on time……..makes me boil…..Why arent there more ppl out there voicing their opinions? Why did Salisbury protest go cold – Take it to Roseau – united we stand , divided we fall – DONT LET THEM DIVIDE US FURTHER
It is time that Letang and employees demand respect cause it is quite clear that this situation is a recurring one. About five years now these employees are being disregarded. In fact the employees got paid right before election after waiting for about 6 fortnights. After the pre-election payment the employees went for another 2 months unpaid. Even while $32 million was being squandered on the island.
What intrigues me is that there are hard core Laborites in PWC who are feeling the grind yet they keep making excuses.
So a board member told me that they get paid on time. So board members should show solidarity and compassion for public works employees.
Of course it will continue. If you haven’t got anything you have nothing to lose either. Pay these people what is due to them for God.s sake!