A handful of contract workers who were involved in the construction of the US $104 million Phoenix Park Industrial Estate staged a placard protest during the official opening of the facility by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday.
The workers had hoped to get the attention of Dr Rowley, eTecK’s officials and other dignitaries at the function, but instead only got attention from the police.
A spokesman for the group, who did not want to be identified, the workers had been employed by a subcontractor on the project and were owed seven months of wages.
“We are just trying to get the word out there that they are owing small contractors,” he said, adding that workers will not be paid until the subcontractors receive payments.
The industrial park, described as the most modern in the Caribbean and expected to generate hundreds of jobs and attract investors, was built by Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG). A representative of the company at the opening ceremony declined to comment on the workers’ claims.