The Masons Revolt
There comes a time during construction when you get a disgruntled employee and you have to deal with him. This happened during our major construction phase. This time Wabba came to our rescue.
Construction of the resort was cruising right along. The trench for the foundation was dug and construction had started. The masons were hired and their crews were busy tying steel. There was a lot of steel to be tied and a lot of concrete to be poured. After weeks and months of working at it, we showed up for another site visit. A chance to check up on how things were going and do more planning.
We were staying with Wabba at the Blue Hole Mineral Springs when Rally pulled up on his motorcycle and he was very upset. He and Wabba had a conversation and from the little patois we could understand we figured out that the mason was demanding more money. So we all went to the site. Wabba asked the mason what the problem was and the mason asked for more money – more then what we had agreed to before he started. Wabba proceeded to inform the masons that the work they were doing was exactly the same as they had done for him at the Blue Hole. He was telling them that working for us was exactly the same thing as working for him. “Working for them is working for me” he said. He also told the masons that he would have new masons on site in the am if they were not happy with their wages. He then made one mason stand aside all day and told Ralston not to pay him for that day. They all returned the next day ready to work again. Not one of them demanded more money again. That Wabba is one tough guy!
It is extremely hard to build something when you are physically located in another country. We rely on our friends Wabba and Ralston to watch out for us. This is exactly what they did. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if we didn’t have support within the community. Wabba and Ralston made sure that we were treated as locals, which helped to keep our construction costs down.
Wabba is a very generous man. He has borrowed us his van when we need transportation or for picking up supplies. He never asks for anything in return. We always gas up his vehicle and lend a hand to him when we can. Ralston did not have a vehicle so he also relied on Wabba’s generosity. This is how it works in our community – everyone helps each other out and gives a hand where they can. To help Ralston out, we bought him a motorcycle. He was so thrilled. It made things much easier for him now that he had his own transportation.
Rally kept track of everything. Wages paid, construction costs, every receipt was kept. I have folders full of receipts. When we would come to Jamaica we would try to purchase all the “big stuff’. I am sure I have been in every hardware store from Negril to Sav-la-Mar. If Ralston thought he could get a better deal on pipe in Negril, that’s where he would go but if he wasn’t satisfied with the price they were offering him he would continue to search until he found a price he was satisfied with. Many trips to many hardware stores in many local communities. All in the search for the lowest prices. In fact, in a couple stores when Ralston walks in the staff actually refer to him as Papa Poo. This makes me laugh every time we walk into these stores because I always look back for Papa Poo.
It was in September 2014 when the masons tried to revolt. We decide we would come back in December and spend Christmas in Jamaica. Not sure how I will feat about not being with all of our family at Christmas but it is what it is. (Never again – I missed everyone!). We share our plans with Ralston and he tells Papa Poo that he will have a room ready for us on our return. That’s 3 months away and if things are progressing as they have been, well no problem, we can always stay at Wabba’s.
Ralston would always sends us progress reports, pictures and videos. But we are back home in Canada unaware of how much progress is actually being made. This is one of the hardest things about building in Jamaica – not physically being there.
‘Celebrate every tiny victory.’
Later,
Baba
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