Quarry workers protest suspension

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14: Workers at the Government quarry today downed tools in protest at the suspension of a driver after his truck was involved in an accident.

A worker at the quarry said the driver, who has not been named, was suspended for six weeks after his truck was involved in a minor accident. He was told he would have to pay for half the damage.

The employee said: “Half the workforce, about 35 people, stopped work. Tomorrow morning, virtually the whole quarry will be involved.

“If the management hasn’t resolved this by 12 noon, we will call everybody out.”

The dispute began when the truck, said to have a faulty handbrake, rolled forward and hit an obstacle at the Government-run Hamilton Parish site. It’s understood no one was injured.

The quarry employee, who asked not to be named, added: “Our issue is that this appears to be personal. Lots of guys have had accidents. Some trucks have been completely written off. That’s thousands and thousands of dollars of damage and nobody has been asked to pay for it.

“An accident is an accident and it should be covered by insurance.”

The employee added that the dispute, if it isn’t resolved, would likely spread to include the Prospect transport depot, where the suspended driver is based.

A Government spokesman said: “This is an internal matter which we are working to resolve.”