Press Release

On Wednesday 27th of June 2007 a meeting occurred between Government Officials, Representatives of Carillion Construction Limited, Representatives of the Indian Workers, an attorney of the Human Rights Commission and attorneys of the Anguilla Bar Association concerning the protest of Indian Workers working on the Viceroy Project.  At that meeting, upon the resolution of a number of immediate issues and on the assurance by Carillion that representatives with the authority to determine salary would be in attendance, a meeting was scheduled for the 29th June 2007 to begin negotiations in relation to the wages of the workers.

It was therefore unsatisfactory to discover that at the meeting on Friday 29th June 2007, Carillion Construction attended the meeting with the intention of  re-affirming the fact that by international standards for Indian Workers, the wages being paid to the Indian Workers were acceptable and exceeded international standards for what is usually paid to Indian Workers in the region and that they had not attended the meeting for the purpose of commencing negotiations on wages for the Indian Workers of the Viceroy Project as had been agreed.

While the Government of Anguilla expressed the opinion that the wages offered to the workers was too low, they took the position that it was a matter of contract between Carillion Construction Limited and their employees.  Carillion Construction is maintaining that they have standard contracts for Asian workers and expressed reluctance at entering into any discussions with the Legal Representatives of the Workers on the subject of wages for their Workers. 

The Legal Representatives of the Workers are concerned that the wages presently being paid to the Indian Workers will have the effect of lowering the standard of wages in Anguilla  and reflects bad labour practices both locally and internationally.

The Legal Representatives feel that Carillion needs to bring itself in line with the best practices of Anguilla and that it needs to act fairly and justly in its treatment of all workers in Anguilla.

                                    DATED 29TH June 2006

Mrs Lolita Davis Richardson, Attorney, Human Rights Commission

Mrs Josephine Gumbs-Connor Vice President, Anguilla Bar Association

Miss Paulette Harrigan, Executive Officer, Anguilla Bar Association