{"id":21457,"date":"2015-04-28T22:02:46","date_gmt":"2015-04-28T22:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=21457"},"modified":"2015-04-29T10:46:18","modified_gmt":"2015-04-29T10:46:18","slug":"wapa-subcontractor-allegedly-importing-workers-to-lay-tile-arson-incident-under-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=21457","title":{"rendered":"WAPA Subcontractor Allegedly Importing Workers To Lay Tile, Arson Incident Under Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. CROIX — For several weeks, the charred remains of a bulldozer, Jeep Liberty and crane have been sitting in a Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) parking lot where employees of WAPA contractor Vitol, and the employees of Vitol subcontractors park their vehicles before taking work in the mornings.<\/p>\n

The news was never widely publicized because it was not reported to the media. However, after acting on a tip-off, VI Consortium<\/em> visited the parking lot, located at WAPA’s Richmond plant and saw the torched heavy equipment and vehicle, blackened and destroyed by the heat of fire.<\/p>\n

Even then, the Consortium<\/em> did not report on the story because of the lack of information. However, photos were taken and kept in file in case more particulars were one day divulged.<\/p>\n

\"Torched<\/a>

Torched Jeep Liberty at a WAPA parking lot for VITOL employees in Christiansted<\/p><\/div>\n

Then, on Monday, at a senate hearing held at the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall in St. Thomas to confirm some of Governor Kenneth Mapp’s nominees — including VITEMA Director designee Mona Barnes, Department of Labor Commissioner designee\u00a0Catherine Ann Hendry and V.I. Human Services Commissioner designee\u00a0Vivian Ebbesen-Fludd — some rather enlightening information was brought to the fore when Sen. Novelle Francis Jr., a former Police Commissioner and Police Chief, said information was given to him that employees working at WAPA’s propane conversation project had set ablaze heavy equipment and Jeep Liberty in the WAPA parking lot. They did this, Francis said, because the contractors are hiring workers from off island while the local workforce, with the skills to get the work done, remains unemployed.<\/p>\n

“There is something brewing here that could go out of order,” Francis said. “I don\u2019t support what they\u2019re doing, but I understand it.”<\/p>\n

VI Consortium<\/em> has heavily covered the issue of the unbalanced hiring practices of Vitol, and was once asked to leave the premises while attempting to enter the propane conversion work site to speak to an executive. That encounter turned into an opportunity to speak with WAPA representatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe received a lot of inquiries from the Department of Labor and [they] had a lot of the same concerns,\u201d said\u00a0Vernon Alexander in January<\/a><\/span>, WAPA special projects director overseeing the construction of the propane storage facility, when asked about reports of disparities in hiring.<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cSo, we gave them contact number for the individual in Vitol who was best able to address their concerns. Since then, I have not had any follow-up calls from the Department of Labor, apparently whatever answer they received was satisfactory to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was revealed by\u00a0Hendry at yesterday’s hearing that an investigation into Vitol’s hiring practices was underway, as the company has allegedly hired workers from Puerto Rico for menial jobs such as laying tile.<\/p>\n

But the unearthing of Vitol’s hiring practices is not new to VI Consortium<\/em>, as back in January, frustrated employees relayed the vexing situations they face daily at the propane conversation project in Richmond.<\/p>\n

\"Torched<\/a>

Torched bullldozer at a WAPA parking lot for VITOL employees in Christiansted<\/p><\/div>\n

What Workers Are Saying<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are being abused here,\u201d said one worker on Tuesday, January 15, who’s employed as a carpenter at the site with AT Construction . \u201cThose of us locals who live here are treated like we don\u2019t know what we are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He went on to explain<\/a><\/span>, and Alexander confirmed being aware of the incident, that nine imported workers were brought in to construct the forming of a wall on the site \u201cbecause they did not think local workers had the skill to do the job.\u201d Before the wall was completed, however, it crumbled. The carpenter said local workers were then asked to reconstruct the wall.<\/p>\n

Two other local workers who were hired as laborers with AT Construction say they have been doing \u201ccarpentry work and everything else around the site,\u201d but noted they were not being paid accordingly. One of those men, who previously worked as a skilled employee at\u00a0HOVENSA for close to 20 years, said he was being paid $9 an hour with AT Construction.<\/p>\n

The men went on to cite other instances of what they called \u201cunfair treatment\u201d as it relates to locals and imported workers, such as locals being denied overtime, while imported workers are given extensive overtime hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are asked to leave the site at 4 p.m. and the other guys get to stay on and work overtime, sometimes as late as nine at night,\u201d the carpenter said.<\/p>\n

Another worker told VI Consortium<\/em>\u00a0that local workers did not receive holiday pay or bonuses, but their imported counterparts did.<\/p>\n

As VI Consortium<\/em> interviewed the men, three 16-passenger vans arrived at the work site and the men pointed out that imported workers occupied the vans. They also said many more imported workers drive rented cars to the construction site.<\/p>\n

When asked what they believed to be the ratio of imported workers to locals, the carpenter said, \u201cIt\u2019s sixty to forty, and that\u2019s being nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another man disagreed, stating that he believed the breakdown to be closer to 80 percent imported to 20 percent local hires.<\/p>\n

\"Torched<\/a>

Torched crane at a WAPA parking lot for VITOL employees in Christiansted<\/p><\/div>\n

A visit to AT Construction\u2019s offices at the RT Park on Tuesday, January 15 revealed, through a note posted on the front door, that the company was no longer hiring for work at the site. However, local\u00a0workers\u00a0at the construction site told VI Consortium<\/em>\u00a0Wednesday that six more imported workers were expected to arrive at the plant that day and an additional six-to-ten were expected the following week.<\/p>\n

Video: Former Vitol employee talks to VI Consortium about working conditions at WAPA’s propane conversation project<\/h6>\n