Employees of the Ministry of Public Works staged a protest on Tuesday morning over unpaid overtime, outstanding salaries and concerns about their employment status, prompting Prime Minister and Finance Minister Gaston Browne to address the gathering outside his office.

The industrial action began at the Ministry of Public Works, where workers assembled to voice their frustration over delays in receiving payments they say are long overdue. The group later made its way to the Office of the Prime Minister, where Browne met with them and listened to their concerns.

Several workers also expressed uncertainty about the future of employees serving on contractual arrangements, saying they were seeking assurances about their continued employment.

Before the protest moved to the Prime Minister’s Office, a senior official within the Ministry of Public Works urged employees to remain patient, telling them the outstanding issues were expected to be resolved between this Friday and sometime next week.

In a statement issued following the demonstration, the Ministry of Public Works said its management team is fully engaged in completing the processing of outstanding payments.

The ministry assured workers that efforts are continuing to finalize the payments as quickly as possible, while seeking to ease concerns surrounding the delays.

The protest underscores growing frustration among public sector employees awaiting outstanding compensation, as workers now look to the government to deliver on its commitment to have the matter resolved within the promised timeframe.