Another setback for the Philipsburg project, first scheduled to start in June 2024 and finish within 75 days.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Construction workers at the Soualiga Marketplace in Philipsburg put down their tools on Friday, October 23, reportedly after going five weeks without pay, adding a wage dispute to a public project already marked by prolonged delays, design changes, and building-permit hurdles.

James and James Construction Company is carrying out the construction, and the government publicly confirmed its award of the marketplace contract in April 2024. 

Responding to SMN News on Friday, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten said the government was processing a payment.

“Payment being processed … took us 6 weeks to get it in the system to pay them,” the minister stated.

“Should be on their account either today or Monday,” she added, referring to Friday, October 23, or Monday, October 26.

Her response points to a lengthy administrative payment process. However, it does not specify the amount being transferred, identify the account receiving the money or establish when the workers themselves will receive their outstanding wages. Payment reaching an account and wages reaching the construction crew remain separate matters requiring confirmation.

The reported work stoppage raises fresh questions about payment management on a project that vendors have already waited years to see completed.

Government’s own announcements show how far the development has slipped from its earlier timetable. On March 22, 2024, then-TEATT Minister Arthur Lambriex announced that the Council of Ministers had approved the reconstruction. On April 26, his ministry announced a June 1, 2024 construction start and a 75-day completion period. That announcement identified James and James as the contractor. More than two years and four months after that proposed start date, the marketplace remains unfinished.

That original announcement should not be mistaken for the start of sustained construction. The record shows repeated preparations and revised schedules. By August 14, 2024, Heyliger-Marten was announcing that a groundbreaking ceremony had been postponed because of Tropical Storm Ernesto and would take place the following week. Vendors were also awaiting relocation to temporary accommodation near the former Government Administration Building. 

Technical investigations subsequently became another obstacle. In June 2025, Heyliger-Marten explained that VROMI’s Department of New Works had recommended examining a multi-story development. Additional soil and structural assessments delayed progress until the option was deemed impractical, and the project reverted to a single-story approach. Revised plans still needed review, including consideration of whether the existing building permit could cover the final design. 

The building-permit issue remained unresolved well into 2026. In an April parliamentary update, the minister said full construction depended on an updated permit. The construction-compliance review was complete, but final internal fire-safety advice remained outstanding after architectural adjustments. She described the ongoing activity as preparatory work, including clearing and utility relocation.

On May 8, MP Darryl York publicly challenged activity at the site, alleging that construction was proceeding without a valid building permit. He accused the government of applying a different standard to its own development while residents and businesses waited for permits. That allegation should be distinguished from a formal finding by an enforcement authority.

By June 17, 2026, Heyliger-Marten announced that TEATT had received the updated building permit from VROMI, allowing the redevelopment to advance. The documented history therefore includes an earlier permit, followed by design revisions, a wait for updated approval, and other technical and administrative delays. 

Costs have also risen substantially. In March 2026, the minister told Parliament that the redesigned development was estimated at approximately Cg. 2.851 million, compared with an original contract sum of Cg. 1.236 million. She attributed the increase to expanded work and improvements addressing foundations, accessibility, sanitation, ventilation and electrical infrastructure.

Only in late September 2026 did the project reach the publicly announced milestone of a poured foundation and floor slab. At that stage, TEATT said major materials for subsequent construction were on the island. In a September interview reported by SMN News, Heyliger-Marten said the building would be completed in the first quarter of 2027, but declined to guarantee an opening date.

Friday’s reported stoppage now shifts focus to the people building that promised the facility.

The minister’s six-week processing explanation leaves critical questions unanswered: When was the payment request submitted? What caused the delay? What arrangements did the contractor make to meet payroll while awaiting payment? And when will all outstanding wages actually reach the workers?

For displaced vendors, the consequence is another interruption to an already overdue marketplace. For construction workers, the immediate issue is more basic: getting paid for the work they say they have earned.

As of the minister’s Friday afternoon response, payment was being processed. Confirmation that the workers had received their outstanding wages was still pending.