Fired Canouan workers to be reinstated in May

Activist Terry Bynoe says he has been given the assurance that the construction workers who were fired on Canouan last week will be reinstated in May.

On Wednesday, February 28, some workers on the island blocked the entrances and exits of the resort with boulders, appliances and debris in protest of non-payment of wages.

The construction workers, employed by MNS Construction, a company owned by Matthew Snagg, were complaining that they had not been paid by investor/developer Andreas Pignataro of the Pink Sands Resort since December 2017.

After the protest, the workers received some of the money owed to them, but were told that their services would no longer be required by the developers.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT via telephone on Wednesday, Bynoe, who had joined the protestors on the frontline, said that last Sunday, March 4, he received a phone call from Pignataro and was given the assurance that the men would be rehired, once the protests stop.      

He said that Pignataro told him that work on the construction of the villas will soon stop and when construction resumes in May, the men will be given work. Construction is being halted so as not to disturb the guests of the hotel during the Easter period.

“One of things that we discussed is that we reinstate the guys, so that we don’t have no victimization, so that we can stop the protest and he assured me that he would rehire them,” said Bynoe, who also met with the Italian contractors attached to CCA Limited on Monday. CCA is responsible for the constuction of Pignataro’s villas.

Bynoe said he took police officers with him to the meeting as witnesses of what was being said. “I met with the contractors and the police and I relayed to them that Pignataro assured me he would hire back the guys… I took the authorities with me so that they can hear what I hear….”

He said that if May comes and the workers are not reinstated, they will protest again.

“…So, if anything turn out different, I want to warn them if they try to stall us, because they have guests for the Easter; guests will arrive some other time again; is not only one time guests will come, so is up to them if they want to give their word and they not true in anything they say.”

He revealed that Matthew Snagg of MNS Construction was not present at the meeting on Monday, because he had gone to mainland St Vincent to meet with personnel from the Labour Department.  

When contacted on Wednesday, Snagg said he was given his workers’ January wages and as a result, only February’s wages are outstanding, as all other payments due to him were made last week.

“Everything is going to plan…they state that the guys are going to go back to work, but they state that will happen in May,” Snagg commented, adding that he is not sure if the project operators will re-hire him or just take back the workers.

He said that he does not mind working on the development, once things are put place to avoid late payments and what happened last week.