Workmen’s protest sparks road chaos
Motorists left stunned by gridlock caused by £600,000 wages row:
WORKERS at the Regent Road roadworks walked off site leaving diggers blocking the road claiming they are owed around £600,000 by the council’s main contractor.
Drivers were left stunned yesterday by the spontaneous ‘protest’ that caused traffic chaos.
Staff from Total Plant Hire Ltd, a Trafford Park-based firm which supplies machinery, downed tools at around 9.30am and left diggers blocking the only lane that was supposed to be open on Chester Road.
Motorists said that when they got out to ask workers what was going on, they told them they were leaving diggers in the road because they hadn’t been paid.
“They were p **** d off saying they should be getting their money,” one driver said.
Buses were delayed and Greater Manchester Police were called to the scene which remained gridlocked for around an hour before the vehicles were removed voluntarily.
But the sub-contractors were later seen packing up their machinery and leaving the site, with all work at the site now apparently ground to a halt.
A spokesperson for the Manchester-Salford Inner Relief Road scheme, which is being carried out jointly by Manchester and Salford councils, said in a statement: “Workers for sub-contractors employed by our main contractor Dawnus on the Regent Road scheme blocked live traffic lanes causing congestion and delays in a dispute over alleged non-payment.
“While the blockage was removed in just over an hour this was clearly unacceptable behaviour which caused unnecessary inconvenience for many motorists. Council staff are at the site to make it secure and no further issues are anticipated.
“However, we are seeking urgent clarification from Dawnus about their position and looking at how we ensure that this major scheme is completed as soon as possible.”
Tommy Halligan, director of Total Plant Hire, confirmed his staff had taken the extraordinary action ‘due to non-payment.’
He claimed his firm is owed around £300,000 by Dawnus, a construction company based in Swansea which was contracted by the council to carry out the road-widening project.
Another contractor, who asked not to be named, supplied labour to the Regent Road scheme and said his workforce was told to ‘go home.’ He also claims to be owed around £300,000 from Dawnus.
“That’s 35 men out of work,” he told the M.E.N. “I’ve paid them but I can’t find work for them in the morning.”