Sacked Jewel workers demand explanation for sudden dumping claiming mental anguish

SACKED Jewel workers are demanding to know why they were dumped without warning, saying the swift and unexplained sacking has had an effect on workers’ mental health.

Josh Ryan is one of the workers who has lost his job at Jewel. Photo of him with his partner Bobbie-Leigh Cable. Photo by Richard Gosling

SACKED Jewel worker Joshua Ryan is demanding to know why he and 150 other tradies were dumped from the $1.4 billion job site without explanation.

Developer Yuhu Group has explained it is finalising designs impacting construction schedules while project builder Multiplex has so far refused to comment.

Last week, a fortnight into a six-month contract, Mr Ryan was tapped on the shoulder and told he no longer had a job.

Josh Ryan is one of the workers who has lost his job at Jewel. Photo by Richard Gosling

“I had worked for this subcontractor before and had been waiting for more than three months for this part of the job to be ready,” he said.

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“In the meantime I’d just been doing odd jobs to make ends meet. I thought it would be worth waiting for this one because it was meant to be solid work until April.

Workers from the Jewel development protesting at the Jewel International Kite Festival on Sunday at Surfers Paradise. Picture: Jerad Williams

“I thought everything was finally moving forward. Things were looking up.

“Then 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’.”

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Josh Ryan is one of the workers who has lost his job at Jewel. Photo of him with his partner Bobbie-Leigh Cable. Photo by Richard Gosling

Mr Ryan’s biggest concern is the mental health of the men who are let go.

“I’m sure all the other blokes are sitting at home losing a lot of sleep, feeling anxious and depressed,” he said.

“If they’re anything like me they’re going to be asking themselves where do we go from here?

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Workers from the Jewel development protesting at the Jewel International Kite Festival on Sunday at Surfers Paradise. Picture: Jerad Williams

“My stomach has just been in a constant knot wondering what we’re all going to do.

“If something happens to one single person from this job site where they can’t maintain a stable mentality we will all know it could have been avoided.”

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Mr Ryan said many workers are still in limbo, living in hope that their jobs and livelihoods may be safe, and claims they are frightened to speak up as it could put a target on their backs.

But as someone who has already lost it all, he’s happy to speak out.

“This isn’t OK, this is people’s lives and it’s not fair that the everyday workers have to suffer because the bigger powers can’t get their shit together.”

Remaining Jewel workers are expected to have some answers when they return to site tomorrow.