Construction Workers on the A’ila Project Down Tools in Pay Protest

Some workers at the A’ila Resorts construction site on Mount Pimard in Rodney Bay downed tools on Monday in protest over wages. Employees allege that the company has violated a seven-month-old agreement guaranteeing them $180 per day, now offering only $100 instead.

Godfrey Fontenelle, one of the disgruntled workers, told reporters that the dispute began after a meeting with project owners last Thursday.

“When we arrived on Friday morning, we were told we would no longer receive the agreed EC$180 per day. As carpenters and masons, we refuse to accept just EC$100,” Fontenelle said angrily.

He emphasised that management had not consulted workers beforehand or allowed any negotiation, despite many labourers travelling from as far as Soufrière and Vieux Fort in the south.

Fontenelle also accused the hotel of misrepresenting the number of workers on-site, suggesting inflated figures may have been reported.

“We only have about 130 to 140 workers and we never wanted to put down our tools,” he said, disputing the reported number of 530.

“But as I say to them, I don’t care, they can fire me, I know my right,” he added. “I’m a Saint Lucian and I’ll stand for my right. I will not let no investor come to Saint Lucia and disrespect my tradesmen, our workers in Saint Lucia; no!”

Another worker, Julius Dorville, described the situation as “total rubbish”.

“I leave my home to come to work from 8 o’clock to 5 o’clock and if you reach late sometimes they fire you, if you reach by 8:30 sometimes they say you cannot work and now from $180 to $100 – that’s not good,” Dorville said. “It is not fair.”

In an attempt to clear the air, a representative for A’ila, who did not place his name on record, said he was unaware of the 44 per cent drop in wages.

“If there is an issue like we tell all our workers they come to our office we rectify it, so right now all these workers that are complaining, most of them have not come to our office to rectify any situation that they have,” he said. “One or two have come in, and we have rectified the situation, so there is not a problem, we do not want to create an unnecessary problem when there is not.”

He also responded to claims that the project owners were bringing in foreign construction workers to replace Saint Lucians.

“We are not bringing in any foreign workers to replace our local workers,” he said. “We are only bringing in workers to assist, specialised workers. We have a deadline and we have to achieve the deadline.”  

When asked to respond to the workers’ assertion that there were far fewer than 500 workers on site, the spokesman said: “Because we also have our workers ‘general’, and we have sub-contractors who also employ workers, in total, we have in excess of maybe 500 workers,” he said. 

The A’ila project has faced some pushback before, initially from residents near the site. The intervention by Minister of Tourism Ernest Hilaire was sought over noise pollution and dust. 

More recently an online petition was started by a group to “Save Our Beloved Reduit Beach,” which borders the project.

According to the petition, “Since mid-2024, the Invest Saint Lucia A’ila Project has launched a massive construction project that is not only harming the residents living nearby but is also threatening public access to one of our most iconic beaches.”

Earlier this month Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, Hilaire and senior tourism and Development Control Authority officials toured the site and met the project team.