The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

DAYS after a fellow employee was shot to death in the gated community of Palm Cay, traumatised workers of independent contractor Northwest Builders huddled in the area yesterday in hopes of getting paid.

Since Friday’s shooting, Palm Cay officials have banned Northwest Builders from access to the site, The Tribune understands.

However, nearly 40 employees were waiting outside the exclusive community off Yamacraw Road yesterday morning for a representative of Northwest Builders to pay them.

One employee, Maurice Bastian, 52, said cheques were prepared on Friday but employees were unable to collect them because of the shooting.

Police patrolled Palm Cay yesterday to provide protection, as the employees of the independent contractor were not allowed to enter the gated community.

The Tribune understands that Palm Cay does not plan to hire the employees who, until Friday, worked for Northwest Builders.

Mr Bastian said nothing will stop employees from demanding that they receive their wages.

“All the staff you see assembled here was supposed to be paid on Friday.

“But based on the traumatic circumstances, this office has been closed and no one has been paid. I tried to contact (a management representative) of the company so they would know that the incident does not have anything to do with us and that we need to get paid. We were told to reconvene here today because we wouldn’t be paid on Friday.”

“Upon getting here about six this morning we were told that no one from Northwest company would be allowed to enter the property. Liaising with the director of security, we found that he spoke to the pay mistress who was supposed to pay us, but hasn’t. She sent us a message through the director of security, saying that she would pay us after she comes from court. Our issue is that their court matter is not our concern. We want our money.”

Mr Bastian claimed Northwest Builders had a reputation for not paying employees on time. “This seems to be a systematic challenge that we have had with them,” he said. “Staff with this company has been treated very poorly.”

Mr Bastian and other employees said it was unlikely that they would continue working with the company.

When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for Palm Cay stressed that Northwest Builders was an independent contractor that did not represent or have a connection with its organisation.