A BUILDER who has had to lay off four men has challenged the Treasury Minister to come down and tell them that there is no recession in Jersey.
Bob Le Neveu, who specialises in concrete and drainage work, says that he has never seen it so bad. The St Brelade-based builder has also attacked those responsible for handing over the Esplanade Quarter development at the Waterfront to firms from outside of Jersey.
It was revealed by the JEP recently that developers Harcourt, who are currently locked in a multi-million-pound legal battle over the site, were planning to bring in 500 workers for the project. Mr Le Neveu spoke out this week in response to Senator Terry Le Sueur’s statement that he had seen no evidence to suggest that Jersey was heading for recession. The minister said that the economic future looked uncertain and expected a slow-down.
Mr Le Neveu has been in the business for 30 years and has a workforce of around 15, but had to lay off four men last week. He said: ‘I cannot ever remember making guys redundant before. It is not easy. It is such a bad time of year in the run-up to Christmas because there is no way they will get a job – well, not in the building industry, anyway.’
• Picture: Bob Le Neveu. Picture by Rob Currie (00601714)
