Worker cries foul over
alleged non-payment
PHILIPSBURG--The administrative and operational procedures at local construction company Atlas Construction are being questioned by one of its workers who says his experience after suffering an electrical shock on the job that landed him in the hospital on October 11 has not been pleasant.
The employee, Joel Bennett of Jamaica, said he had suffered the electrical shock while operating a concrete vibrator. He now suffers from back pains and has been at home for the last six weeks. He had gone to the doctor and the SVB as required and had collected his pay for the first two fortnights.
However, he did not receive his pay for the third fortnight because, according to the construction company’s office, he submitted his health insurance card showing he was on sick leave a day after the Wednesday administration had been completed and the file had already been forwarded to the bank for the staff to be paid.
Company director Emil Lee said he had not been contacted by Bennett about the problem, but by the Labour Office to whom Bennett had complained, and had decided to write a cheque to pay Bennett. Furthermore, he had given Bennett a letter indicating the procedures to follow. Bennett was also required to sign a receipt for the cheque. However, Bennett refused to sign and, as a result, did not receive his cheque.
Unhappy about this development, Bennett returned to the Labour Office and subsequently went to the police, who reportedly instructed Lee to pay the worker.
Lee’s contention is that he never intended to refuse payment.
Bennett also told The Daily Herald he had many concerns about working conditions at Atlas Construction. Those concerns included allegations that Lee uses “a Venezuelan man” to take photos of employees found lapsing on the job, allegations that construction workers are made to work in the rain, and allegations that skilled workers are paid only US $35 per day.
Lee denied this, adding that even helpers were paid more than US $35 per day.
Lee said there had been cases in which persons had been caught sleeping on the job and the supervisor had taken photographs, but even then none of the workers had been terminated.
Bennett also claimed that Lee had made them sign a form to accept a $450 loan as a condition for Lee to submit their residence papers for renewal.
Lee said he had looked at the situation and decided that, as the law was not specific on the issue of who should pay the renewal fees, and considering that often the papers weren’t renewed or the employee went elsewhere to work, he had decided to pay for the renewal of the papers upfront and then have the staff pay fortnightly to absorb the cost.
