Waiting on wages: 122 non-union Astaldi workers owed paycheques
Premier Dwight Ball says he's talking with Nalcor's CEO to get the owed money flowing
More workers involved in the Muskrat Falls project have not received their full wages, and Premier Dwight Ball says he is working to right that wrong.
"I've been talking to a number of the employees that have not received paycheques, full paycheques, since they have been taken off the site a few weeks ago," Ball said during question period in the House of Assembly on Thursday.
"We are working on a solution for those employees. They deserve to get paid for the work that they've done."
Specifically, 122 non-unionized employees working for Astaldi — the main contractor for the megaproject — have not received their full pay.
The issue was brought up by Opposition House leader Keith Hutchings, who said he had been told of the people waiting to be paid.
Last month, about 500 Astaldi workers were sent home from the site. It took a couple of weeks before those workers received wages that were owed to them.
Trades NL had demanded Ball step in, and the group's executive director, Darin King, met with the premier to discuss the issue.
"It's important that workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, when they go to work, they will get the paycheque that they so rightfully deserve," Ball said at the time.
Ball said he is talking with Nalcor CEO Stan Marshall to ensure people get their pay, noting that there are bonds and sureties in place to address this kind of situation.
"Just like we did with the unionized workers that were affiliated with Trades NL, we worked out a solution with Nalcor to actually facilitate the payment to those workers ... and now we're working with a solution with Nalcor to actually make sure that those workers would get the payment that they deserve as well."
With files from Rob Antle and Jacob Barker