A self-help association for Taipei Dome subcontractors was established yesterday, with members calling on the Taipei City Government and the Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to clarify when work could resume on the project and who would be responsible for their losses.
“It has already been four months and we can no longer stand it,” association head Sam Hsu (許志霖) said, adding that subcontractors had lost more than NT$5 billion (US$151 milllion) since work on the site was halted four months ago.
If Farglory cannot resolve their conflict with the city and lose, they can probably still survive, but we cannot hold out that long,” he said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The Taipei City Government in May ordered Farglory, the main contractor, to halt construction on the Dome after a city commission said the structure could not be evacuated safely.
Construction on the Dome’s foundations was later allowed to ensure the structure’s stability.
“We want dialogue, not opposition. We want openness and transparency,” Hsu said, calling for both sides to tell subcontractors the details of any talks and clarify whether and when something would be done about the site.
Both sides have been “passing the buck” over subcontractors’ losses, he said, while “unequal contracts” favoring Farglory and the city government had prevented contractors from being compensated for their losses.
The city’s position that the sub-contractors’ losses were Farglory’s responsibility was an “excuse,” he said.
The city must explain what measures it has taken to help Farglory meet its standards for resuming construction on the site, he said.
The association would send a petition to the city government by the end of the week, Hsu said, adding that members would need to bring “hard hats” to their next meeting if their demands were not met.
The association said that it would take action if the city government did not provide the explanations it demanded.
One contractor, who wished to remain anonymous, said his firm’s major concern was material losses for the fire protection doors which it was supposed to install.
It has already manufactured the doors, but it has not been paid because the construction was halted, the contractor said, adding that there was a danger the doors could start to rust if they remain out in the open.
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