Labourers at new Minijust premises put tools down over delayed pay

KIMIHURURA – Three weeks have passed without any work done on the new proposed Ministry of Justice and Supreme Court premises as construction workers remain on a sit-down strike over delayed payment. Over 200 workers at the site are now threatening to sue a Belgium-based construction company, AMCECO, for non-payment of wages that range between Rwf 800 and Rwf 3000 per day. “We have been coming here almost every day on invitation to get our wages, only to be given another rendezvous. This is outrageous,” said the seemingly angry Eric Kabayiza, one of the workers. Kabayiza who is in his 50’s said most of the workers have failed to meet their family obligations. “We want justice. We will definitely continue to decry this injustice so everyone concerned should come to our aid,” Jacques Nkubana another worker said. Engineer Antoine Rwabuhungu, director of works at the site said the delay was caused by a breakdown in banking systems that would be solved anytime. “We are not ourselves happy with this ongoing chaos, we would like to see this come to an end and we hope a solution will be found sooner rather than later,” he said, though failing to clearly indicate what went wrong for such a delayed payment. Apart from not being paid, the workers also suspect that the firm could have run of cash to run their operations.The firm was contracted to construct a four storey facility that will house the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court. Rwabuhungu further explained that the construction of the over 2 billion francs complex should have been completed last April. Ends

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Labourers at new Minijust premises put tools down over delayed pay