Government workers carrying out road paving on Harrington Sound Road have downed tools amid a dispute over the timing of their overtime pay.

The Ministry of Public Works confirmed that between eight and ten staff members called in sick yesterday, but said it had communicated the timing of the pay to the workers weeks in advance.

A spokesman for the ministry said: “The Ministry of Public Works is aware of the situation involving eight to ten staff members assigned to the Harrington Sound Road paving project who called in sick today.

“The ministry has been made aware of a grievance related to the timing of overtime payments and was not informed of this grievance prior to the staff calling in sick. However, it is actively engaging with the union to address and resolve the matter promptly.

“It is important to note that all staff members will be paid for the overtime hours worked, although some employees won't receive all their overtime earnings in one payroll period, as is the normal procedure for overtime worked during public holiday weekends, which was communicated to all employees several weeks in advance.

“The roadworks on Harrington Sound Road are part of a scheduled project that will take place over the next few weeks.

“The road has been prepared for paving and the ministry intends to move forward with the designated schedule to ensure this work is completed in the shortest time frame possible.

“Upon completion of these works, the ministry will engage in paving works between Store Hill and Flatts.

“The public's understanding and patience are appreciated as the ministry works to ensure the project is completed as soon as possible.”

An e-mail was sent by The Royal Gazette this morning to Chris Furbert, the president of the Bermuda Industrial Union — where divisions include works and engineering — to ask if BIU members were among those who were off work from the Harrington Sound Road site today. No response was received by the time of publication.