PWC employees get outstanding wages and salaries

Francis said all wages were paid

Chairman of the Public Works Corporation (PWC) Board, Titus Francis has announced that all outstanding wages and salaries to employees at the PWC have been paid.

He made the announcement during a radio interview on Tuesday.

“I am happy to announce that at this point in time all outstanding wages and salaries to the employees at the PWC have been paid,” he revealed. “Payments are being made as I speak to you through the various banks and other financial institutions.”

According to Francis, this is encouraging for the employees especially because “we cannot overlook the fact that they have families; they have commitments; children going back to school in September and they need to know exactly how they are going to meet those financial commitments.”

On behalf of the board, he thanked the government of Dominica, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit as well as Public Works Minister, Mirium Blanchard for making the payment possible.

“I think with their collaborative effort we were able to come up with the necessary funding to meet the outstanding wages and salaries,” Francis stated.

Despite this Francis said there is still the whole question of the sustainability of the PWC.

“It is not something that every three months people have to begin to probably cross their faces and wondering where and when they are getting their wages and salaries,” he remarked. “They have financial commitments and it is our responsibility as a board to really dig deep to come up with sustainable solutions that will allow the employees to get their wages and salaries as and when it becomes due.”

Over the years employees of the PWC have held protest action on several occasions over the non-payment of salaries and other issues.

Just last week General Secretary of the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU), Thomas Letang told Dominica News Online (DNO) that 20 employees, who were laid off in June 2015 and who had applied for redundancy, were paid last month.

He said the union plans to organize a meeting this week with employees to address a number of issues which are affecting them and to discuss a way forward.

 

 

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20 Comments

  1. Let The Truth Be Known - Original
    August 19, 2017

    Those employees must be happy to be paid.
    Why do some of you object to him saying “Thank You?” When some people do a repair job for you and you pay them or your employer pays you, do you not say thank you? It is simply good manners to say, “Thank you.” There are many more examples for saying “Thank You.” These are two easy and quick words which come to mind without getting into an argument and being hateful.

  2. Still Left and not supporting Neo -DLP
    August 17, 2017

    Another of the pseudo left SELLING OUT – many of em are on even more than one board. As felix would say” oh my finger” I say oh my hand even oh my body (completely) pRINICIPAL reason for authentic labour turning to Neo DLP.

  3. PROFESSOR
    August 17, 2017

    Does that include the workers who were sent home without pay over two years ago? How did most former PSS graduates get embroiled in this corrupt cesspool? I don’t even recognize this person. Certainly not the Titus Francis I once knew. Please extricate yourself from this cabal before it’s too late my friend.

  4. Fly on the wall
    August 16, 2017

    I really don’t understand… Didn’t these employees work hard for their money? Is the money being given to them for free? If they work for their money then why weren’t they paid? And why we have to be thanking there employer for paying them as though it’s a favor? What’s happening in DA? People work hard for their money and they still HV to thank their boss for paying them? This is ridiculous!!! Are you listening to yourself Titus Francis? I know you as a young boy growing up. What happen to you? What did you drink! What’s wrong with our country? Sad sad sad!!!

  5. UDOHREADYET
    August 16, 2017

    ummmn in America if a business gets a project from the government, the business can go to a bank with the necessary project documents and borrow against the expected project funding in order to buy materials and pay their workers during the project. The governments only requirements are based on completion of the project and the business requirements are to complete the project in a timely manner under budget if possible to go onto the next project. if its (completed in less time) under budget the business makes more profit because they can now use that time to to work on another project… effectively being paid twice for the same time.

    Yet people are stupid and lazy and always think that by doing bad and less they will somehow get more… nah!
    thats not how it works… thats not how any of this works!
    The best you are at what you do the greater your reward will be!

  6. Droid
    August 16, 2017

    We donot have to thank u after u put us through all this hardship….. it’s our damn money… go to hell. … pay us and vex with us . We still won’t vote u waste of time government… call the election for us to put all you wherr all u belong…

  7. Illuminator
    August 16, 2017

    This is heartbreaking. No one in Dominica can afford to not get paid for so long.
    This situation must be corrected. The words of the Chairman are encouraging but in this case words do not pay the bills, put food on the table or allow for some stress relieving sewo tans a tan.

    Happy for all the workers though.

  8. A. George
    August 16, 2017

    5 comments alone.. why am I not surprised? Bad news we like. Thank you the govt of Dominica for the work you have been doing and continue to do.

  9. LifeandDeath
    August 16, 2017

    Dominica is living a lie..All the while monies making rounds in Dominica and PWC workers wasn’t on the list..such a shame, and now he doesn’t thank the poor workers for their patience and suffering and hard sacrifices, instead he thanks Skerrit and Ms. Blanchard..

    As they say, that’s the way the cookie crumbles as long as we continue to depend solely on another human being to eat bread. The frustration poured upon the PWC is not by chance but by design. The Gov’t has a plan for that spot, it is prime Chinese Real Estate and so they want the workers frustrated and gone.
    the workers must begin to look for themselves too..by now after years of suffering PWC should be empty..Nobody Cares, take this harsh advise and every man jack at PWC look for work elsewhere or create self employment..forget about the politics and mind games..Look for yourselves..PWC is a dead horse..Hear what the Chairman says about “sustainability”?

  10. ALL
    August 16, 2017

    The chairman missed a very important thank you, so I’ll do it for him.

    Thank you to the management and staff of the Public Works Corporation for keeping it together under such difficult circumstances. You guys suffered a great loss beyond finances. You lost your independence and were reduced to beggars who couldn’t even face the unforgiving multitude. They tested your patience, will-power, mental stability, self discipline, integrity, I’m sure it was modern day torture but you guys survived, yall are the real MVP’s!!!

  11. RastarMarn
    August 16, 2017

    No wonder we seeing all infrastructure projects going to private entities,,,

  12. ALL
    August 16, 2017

    Perhaps the chairman can also shed some light on the other pressing matters;
    – How are the employees going to get back all the monies the banks have deducted for late payment
    interest and fees?
    – How are the employees going to get back all the late payment charges and bailiff fees from Courts,
    Astaphans, Fast Cash, Big Edge etc
    – Who will reimburse the employees for all the insurance policies that lapsed?
    – Will Inland Revenue give all the refunds they held back because of non-payment of Social Security?
    – Will Social Security finally start honouring the employees’ medical benefits?
    – Is the government negotiating with the banks and loaning agencies to give PWC employees loans
    because they have been blocked out by all the banks and credit unions?
    – Will the Government start honouring the Public Works Corporation Act as they do with Dowasco, Solid
    Waste Corp, State College and DASPA?
    – What happened to the PWC business plan, the PM praised but has yet to sign…

  13. FOXTROT
    August 16, 2017

    Jesus Christ!!! you mean the employees of the PWC are still suffering like that!!! Magwassa!! I cry on all the people who continue to allow this injustice to go on at this state owned entity. In the mean time I hope that they have not only paid the bare minimum and hope that the late fees and penalties that have been accrued on their mortgages and hire purchases and other loans have been looked at as well because if that is the case then they are still in a bad position. However I do hope that the people who are playing savior today will continue to be savior by giving the PWC work to do so that a sense on normalcy can return to this Corporation instead of having the employees to suffer like this time and time again. Remember that the employees have families to take care of, and a credit rating to up keep. because I can tell you NO Financial entity is having mercy on those people which just compounds their situation.
    Hang in there people of Public Works…..Karma is Justice!

  14. Doc Love
    August 16, 2017

    You have put the PWD workers and their families through hardship for months, possible years, some of them has lost their homes, and you want to thank Blanchard and Skeritt for their sufferings, what a shame. According to the saying, you broke my legs, you gave me crutches, and I must thank you.

  15. Ibo France
    August 16, 2017

    I’m very pleased and elated that finally these suffering public servants have procured their well deserved earnings. Sometimes it takes advocacy to procure what is rightfully yours. I could only imagine the unimaginable anxiety and hardships these people had to endure. I further hope that their present job security situation would stabilize as unemployment in these economically tough times can be a hellish experience.

  16. jihan
    August 16, 2017

    No need to thank anyone in the government,its not a favor they did for the people,this was their hard earned money,stop this bull like Skerrit is Godf he is not.

    • Anonymous
      August 16, 2017

      Brother you are so right, he’s not even a saint!

  17. Vernon
    August 16, 2017

    That is very good news that they have been paid. It was long outstanding and overdue.
    However, there are lots of road work projects and monies being distributed all over the place for projects that the PWC can perform. Instead these projects are given to government cronies, who sometimes are not even qualified to perform the works, and sideline the PWC. In the past these projects were being carried out by the PWC.

    I hope that they will be paid on time in the future and this is not a one off gesture.

    Regards,

    • jr
      August 17, 2017

      Time to privatise a lot of these services . Public servants can be inefficient and wasteful because they work for a salary and do not care if the work is done or done in a timely manner . So outsourcing is in the best interest of Government and the people of Dominica. Plus it creates more jobs and stimulates the economy

  18. Me
    August 16, 2017

    I’m glad this has been fixed. Please, make sure it never happens again.

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