I’M SACKED AND IN THE DARK
AMONG all the pain and anger Joshua Ryan wants one answer. Why does he no longer have a job at the city’s biggest construction site where work was supposed to continue until mid next year? Mr Ryan was one of the
150 workers dumped from the $1.4 billion Jewel project in Surfers Paradise last week – and hundreds are expected to follow tomorrow.
“All of a sudden, without any warning or answers from Multiplex or Yuhu I just got a tap on the shoulder and my boss said ‘Sorry, you don’t have a job anymore’.” But Yuhu Group says work on the site should be in “full swing”.
DEVELOPER Yuhu Group expects work to be in “full swing” at its troubled Gold Coast beachfront Jewel towers, saying the construction schedules are up to build partner Multiplex.
The Chinese development company is putting responsibility onto Multiplex for last week’s upheaval when workers and contractors quit the site or lost their jobs.
Last week, Yuhu Group said it was still finalising designs and configuration on lowerlevel podium and hotel aspects, which would be put back in the construction schedule.
In a statement yesterday, Yuhu Group Australia said: “Rescheduling should be in place so works may commence on other remaining parts of construction to avoid delay.
“Site management and work scheduling have been entrusted to our construction partner. We expect on-site construction to be in full swing so an exceptional product of the highest quality and standard can be delivered as early as possible.”
Yuhu Group spokeswoman Jingxin Lin also said yesterday Yuhu Group was confused why workers on the site were surprised at their situation: “It is not our site, it is Multiplex’s and they have known the plan all along.
“We are waiting for a full report on the situation as well.”
A Multiplex spokeswoman said a statement would be forthcoming yesterday but later texted to say it would not.
Work all but appeared to dry up at the site last week, with more than 100 workers believed to have received marching orders. One contractor axed about 50 staff. Another yanked his crew from Jewel to focus on other projects due to no clarity about what to proceed with.
Workers held a small protest on Sunday at the familyfriendly Jewel International Kite Festival but warned it was the “calm before the storm” if a further 300 jobs dried up as anticipated.
Yuhu’s Ms Lin said: “We are here to stay and to create more job hours. Everything we do at the project is to make it better, for our own pride and also for the city of Gold Coast.”
The three stunning crystalline towers – recently described by one source close to the project as among the “most over-specced buildings ever designed” – are home to a 169-room hotel and 512 apartments.
Yuhu Group has said it is weeks away from identifying a hotel operator for the landmark Surfers Paradise beachfront site.
“We are conducting an international selection process to identify a world-class hotel operator for the luxury fivestar hotel component of the Jewel project,” Ms Lin said.
“As is common industry practice, Yuhu will take guidance from the chosen operator when finalising design and configuration elements to ensure the hotel also reflects the operator’s signature characteristics and feel.
“Therefore, some changes to the contract to allow scope for these provisions are to be expected. We have communicated this with Multiplex and have kept them up-to-date with developments in this regard,” she added.