Ill-treatment Claims.

By Andrew Fanasia Jr.

Local Employee Alleged Mal treatments from Foreigners.

Local employees working for a New Zealand contractor-McConnell Dowell Constructor Limited in Makira Province have alleged that they were frequently subjected to mistreatment by their foreign supervisors and managers.

McConnell Dowell Constructors Limited is currently undertaking road rehabilitation and bridge construction in Makira Province under the Solomon Islands Road Improvement Project (SIRIP).

The company’s camp was built in Kaonasugu which hosted all the bosses and also provided employment for close to 200 plus locals as work on the roads and bridges progressed.

Ellison Nahgo, a first permanent worker who was verbally terminated with no explanation last month stated in a report sited by Express that a lot of workers have already left their jobs because of lower esteem and anxiety within workers for not properly addressing their work nature in the value of their work output.

Local workers have expressed their feelings of slavery attitude the construction company trying to mould into their system of thinking and accepting a model of salary of SBD 300.00 in a fortnight, “the packet has no danger allowances.”

These, he said, locals are normally subjected to long working hours of work without being appropriately remunerated.

Nahgo said during the building of Kaonasugu Camp, Superintendent Mr. Peter Hill mentioned that the locals are expected to give the best of their ability during working hours during the cause of initial camp site construction.

“The initial month of Camp site construction was straight Sunday to Sunday, Good Friday, Saturday, and Easter Sunday; Easter Monday and also the State day 7th July was no rest days,” Nahgo said.

He added, SBD$4.00 an hour rates were truly maximized in 9 hours per day Mon-Sat and Sundays.

Nahgo said, the same rates all through out, no such thing as a back pay, no overtime pay, no housing allowance pay, no danger allowance and no dirty allowance.

The expatriate boss commonly use the motto ‘look to the future and forget yesterday for you are casual laborers and at the same time a slap on the face of the locals for no pay increase absolutely.

Compared with logging companies around Makira, a kitchen room and chefs are always around to provide food for their man power; this is completely different with McConnell Dowell Contractors Ltd, Kaonasugu camp.

Nahgo stated that a bottle of mineral water is forbidden for a black laborer or local site workers to drink off.

In one occasion, he added, two local workers were warned by Mr. Hill on the spot for drinking mineral water given by fellow work expatriates

Nahgo reported in a another occasion, the company hosted a big dinner for the Cadno group of engineers, however, all excess food was given to Waimapuru Secondary School, while the local workers were given noodles and taiyo instead.

The kitchen Supervisor Mr. Peter Steven told the local night sift group leader to accept whatever is given because they were told that they (local workers) eat low grade food in their homes.

According to the reports, Nahgo stated that expatriates uses very serious abusive words as a common verb in any speech used during work and off work hours.

Nahgo said they don’t respect their (Makira) culture by using F words to the locals.

It is stated that, even the local land owners and farmers have never been compensated for the damages caused to their cocoa and coconut plantations that road construction runs through.

Meanwhile, Express news was unable to reach the Company’s Office but will continue to contact them for the company’s side of the story.
Express news however understands that the full report of this matter is before the Labour division.