Astaldi workers likely won't get paid before Christmas

Ed Knox and Mark Compton have taken to copying Siobhan Coady and Dwight Ball on all their emails, complaining almost daily about not getting paid for their work at Muskrat Falls.

They say the politicians who promised to help them have gone silent.

"The lack of response is telling," Compton wrote on Wednesday. "A couple of weeks ago we were urged to wait for word on the arbitration hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Well that Tuesday and another have passed without any news."

The two men are part of 122 non-unionized Astaldi employees whowere kept around towork at the Muskrat Falls site after the company was kicked off the megaprojecton Oct. 20.

To date, they've gone unpaid for that work, and the natural resources minister told reporters on Wednesdaythere's no solutionin sight.

"It's before the courts and we have to await the outcome of that process," Coady said. "I've met with these workers. I've met to try and find a resolution to this situation. As you know, it is complicated."

Coady said government hoped to find a way to pay the workers sooner, but when Astaldi chose to take the matter to court, their hands were tied.

Coady said Nalcorwants an order for Astaldito turn over a letter of credit a document issued by a bank to serve as a guarantee for payments.

As long as that court fight is ongoing, Coady said the provincial government can't step in. They are not slated to be back atSupreme Court in St. John's until after Christmas.

'Pawns' in Muskrat fight

When asked if she has contacted the workers directly, Coady said the government was asked to go through the lawyer hired by the unpaid workers.

There's been little relief for Knox and Compton, and the other workers who are owed what Coady called a "handsome sum" for owed wages and benefits.

"The process is still winding it's way through arbitration, as it should, but as we have stated we should not be held hostage to this process," Compton wrote.

"Again we ask, please pay us and carry on the feud without us, we are tired of being used as pawns in the game of Muskrat Falls."