Over 200 migrant workers showed up on the lawn of the Post Office to meet with the Labour Commissioner on Tuesday, June 26 at 1:00 p.m. In an event that has been unprecedented in Anguilla, the public and migrant workers are alleging that the Viceroy Project is being involved in human trafficking and human rights violations. In a press release made by Viceroy, it read, “It is the policy of Viceroy Resorts and Residences to hold its contractors responsible for adhering to best employment practices, and we have already launched our own probe into this matter.” A large number of workers came in various groups with the first arriving at the Labour Commissioner’s Office. They were immediately seen while the others stayed below under the tree at the Post Office. In the meantime, another contingent of workers were reportedly walking to The Valley but were stopped on Back Street by members of the Royal Anguillian Police Force.

Section of upset protestors on grounds of Post Office in The Valley

Although the Indians are engaged in a peaceful protest, the sheer numbers have reached to over 200 and has made a resounding impact on the Anguillian community. When The Anguillian first arrived on the scene, certain workers who had somewhat of a level of proficiency in English were shoved to the front to speak and give their concerns. The first worker, whose name was not given, said, “The food is no good, the salary is too low, we are being paid $180 a month while working six days a week from 7am-7pm. The water is not good and the food is not enough nor nutritious. We have no medical help and many of us are sick. We want to speak to the Labour Commissioner because we are human beings, not animals.”
After hours of peaceful demonstrating, in which many Anguillians got involved to listen to their concerns and offer help, a list of complaints were compiled and handed out to members of the press. The document was entitled “Problems” and it has been copied verbatim here in The Anguillian:
1. Our salary is very less. We cannot afford expenses of this country. Our salary is $180 US for labour per month and we want salary according to Anguilla labour laws
2. We are not slaves, we should be treated like human beings. We want our passports back, passports are our personal property.
3. We want full medical treatment from the company. And we also want medical leave.
4. We want nutritious food. The level of food is very bad. We have never ate food like this, A person can’t do work without good health and health is dependent on good food.
5. We have problems of water and electricity in rooms. A person can’t do anything without water. We are not animals.
6. They use abusive language while we are working on sites. This should be stop.
7. We want pure and good food, like fruits and juice, etc. for vegetarian persons. We all forget the taste of fruits. Now you can imagine our conditions.
8. We should not be deported after this action.
9. We want all the human rights according to the government.
10. If company will deport us, then we want full salary of two years from company.

Protestors on private property opposite the Post Office

The Anguillian community is outraged about the conditions under which these migrant workers have been apparently working. It was originally reported that the second group of protestors were stopped from marching and this too upset many people as Anguilla is a democratic society in which a protest or demonstration can happen at any time. Inspector Sinclair of the RAPF, when asked about why the protestors were stopped said, “when I arrived on the scene, there were 50 plus people and they were a danger to themselves and they were essentially an obstruction on the highway. We sheltered them and water was requested from the company. Thank God some passer-by’s and good people stopped to give them water and juice and we provided transport for three of the people to come to the Valley and we suggested that they rest under the tree in the shade. We would not have stopped them from walking single file into the valley but they would have had 5 to 6 km to go and a great potential for dehydration so from a police point of view, everything was done for their benefit. A lawyer was appointed to them so their rights have been secured and as far as I am concerned they can stay here (across from the Post Office) as long as they want because this is a peaceful demonstration.”

Protestors grateful for Anguillian hospitality treatment

As the workers were visibly exhausted and mentally anguished, many Anguillians stood in solidarity with them and helped by bringing water and snacks. One woman in particular, Mrs. Elaine Roberts and her friend Roselyn John, went out of their way to do a good deed. Elaine said, “this is not good at all for the island and I was so shocked when I saw them and heard them say that they are hungry and that they need water to drink. So, I had one bottle of water in my bag and I took it out and I gave it to one of them, and out of that, all of them had a sip. Therefore, I went from here and got another bottle of water and they said ‘thank you very much.’ Then, my co-partner called me and asked me what I think we should go do, get them something to eat? So, she went by Ashley’s and collected two cases of water and three bags of soda biscuits and they said ‘thank you very much and God will bless you all.’

Anguillians in support of protesting workers

Seymour Hodge, Government Liaison for the Viceroy Project, was on hand at the demonstration and made a statement, “they contracted an agency in India to bring the first group of Indians and they came. Then, Carillion sub-contracted another group on their own without major supervision and the workers were initially told that they were going to the UK and that was something they are upset about. They say that they are having some medical problems and they are not getting medical attention. The first group has a medical person on the premise and I do not see why that person can’t see them and I am heading down there now to see what is going on with that group. They said the food situation is not adequate either. The labour department and I inspected the canteen for the first group and they had an adequate amount of food in terms of nutrition, their living accommodations were also inspected. Some of them told me that they have not been paid and I am going to talk with them because Carillion did a contract with these agents in India, what happened to their pay should be investigated.”

Police officers in discussion with the protestors

Lolita Davis, a lawyer in Anguilla and a member of the human rights committee came on the scene to offer her services to the migrant workers. She also spoke to The Anguillian, “I heard on the radio what was happening and I am part of the Anguilla Human Rights Committee and I believe the human rights of everyone should be protected in Anguilla. So, when I heard the police stopped them in South Hill, I was very upset because in Anguilla we have the freedom of movement as long as we are not doing anything illegal. The police here did explain that for health reasons they did stop them because of the heat and the long walk as well as for their safety in terms of traffic. There will be a meeting and I have volunteered to speak to the Labour Office. I will take down all their complaints. The Indian workers understand that we will stand in solidarity with them and we will not allow anyone to be mistreated in Anguilla and we believe everyone should be treated fairly and I am willing to meet with them and the persons in charge so we can work out something fair for the people. They must be treated fairly and all the human rights must be respected and we will not allow anyone to be mistreated in Anguilla.” Originally, Mrs. Davis was not allowed in the meeting with the Labour Commissioner, but she said she knew better and as long as she is representing them, she has the right to be in any meeting that deals with them directly. When the workers were made aware of Mrs. Davis’ help, they began to shout in jubilee, “Thank you to the woman.. thank you to the Anguillan people!!!”

Signing of a list of grievances in presence of local supporters

More workers shortly thereafter approached The Anguillian and said that they had just received phone calls from their supervisors threatening to deport 30 of them immediately because of their actions. There were also threats made to their safety which according to the workers was the main reason why they have chosen to stay in The Valley. Bankie Banx was on hand to help them in anyway he could and upon hearing of the threats to their safety he said, “they are worried for their security when they go back. The same people they are protesting against live in their house, so we want to make sure that the police know this and need to provide protection. We are looking and watching out for these people and we are concerned for their safety.”

Day two of the protest

It is apparent that the Indians have not had a decent meal, adequate supply of water, nor proper bathroom facilities in two days. Some of them refuse to eat as a form of protest and the majority are seated on the ground on land owned by Emmanuel Webster in the centre of The Valley where the new KFC is being constructed, a project which has obviously being delayed in lieu of the current human rights crisis. This demonstration will no doubt make it on the global scale as news travels fast throughout the Caribbean. At a police briefing Wednesday morning at Police Headquarters, Mr. Rudolph Proctor (Superintendent) and Mr. Richardson (Deputy Commissioner of Police) spoke about the issue from the RAPF’s point of view. Mr. Proctor said,” at present we are treating the situation as a peaceful protest and are working with all the parties to have a peaceful resolution. But, we are concerned about some of the sentiments expressed down there and we are monitoring those as well. Right now, we are not looking at it in any other light than a peaceful protest. There is no need for panic. We hope the negotiations can be brought forward and addressed quickly because things can go from one stage to a next.” Ras B, from Heartbeat Radio was adamant that an investigation needed to be started into the allegations of human trafficking. To that notion the police responded by saying that to their knowledge, no investigation needed to be started as there was an apparent agreement between the workers and Carillion. Human trafficking is a general concern throughout the world. The RAPF is more than sure that if any indication of human trafficking reaches them, then they would pursue. Mr. Proctor and Mr. Richardson ended the briefing with the following statement, “we would appeal to Anguillians to realise that at the end of the day, this is Anguilla and we can’t allow things to escalate and be a lawless situation because it’s not going to benefit any of us. It is best to look at the whole situation and hope that the people responsible can peacefully negotiate all of the issues of the persons who are protesting. It is also important to look at the whole issue of how this will impact Anguilla’s social life, tourism, law and order, and security.”

Mr. Ronald Webster (1st from left) after speaking to HBR’s Media representative on behalf of the protestors

The Anguillian made many attempts to get information from the Labour Department but they would not make a statement. Moreover, there has not been any statement made by the managers of Carillion and therefore no information is known as to whether these worker’s demands are being negotiated or not. The Government of Anguilla has not made a statement either and the lack of information being made public leads to more confusion about the entire situation. There was supposed to be a meeting on Wednesday at 9am, and then another at 2pm, but the details of those meetings are not known. As more information is made available to the public, The Anguillian will continue to pursue the story.

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News