Building giant C.O. Williams Construction Ltd is expected to make some of its workers redundant from as early as Friday, citing declining competitiveness and sustained operational challenges. The move has drawn a strong response from the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), which is demanding evidence to justify the cuts amid a nationwide building boom.

The 66-year-old company, which traces its origins to 1960, when late founder Charles Williams began a small earthmoving business, notified “all employees” in an internal memo dated June 5 of job losses within days.

While general manager Marc Atwell did not specify in the memo how many workers will be affected, their bargaining agent, the BWU, which said it has been engaged in talks with the company on the matter, put the number at about 30.