The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporters

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

AN advocacy group claims a lack of planning and education to prepare Bahamians for oil industry jobs means oil companies will be forced to hire employees on work permits, if the oil industry takes off.

The National Citizens Coalition’s statement comes amid discussions over the government’s plan to undergo exploratory oil drilling.

The country can ill afford to be unprepared for such a massive industry that can “dramatically” affect the lives of Bahamian workers, the group said.

“It would bring about a paradigm shift, but we want that shift to be for the benefit of the average Bahamian citizen and the workers of the Bahamas,” the coalition said in a statement.

“Unions are concerned that the present agreement does not contain visionary and proactive measures making provisions for 500 primary jobs that BPC has promised as the result of the setting up of an oil industry.”

Bahamians are not being encouraged to prepare for oil industry jobs, the coalition said, and local schools are not prepared to train Bahamians to take advantage of primary, secondary, and low-end jobs in the oil industry.

“Through lack of planning and education, the government would be forced to allow the oil company to hire foreigners to fill such positions, by issuing mass work permits to accommodate this process. Jobs that could be paying from $70,000 to $120,000 per annum to qualified Bahamians,” the coalition claimed.

“With the influx of so many people and so many high income jobs, it could create a complete upper class of foreigners in our country, further suppressing the middle and lower economic class in our society through job occupancy and lack of opportunity.

“The unions are also concerned that so many foreigners coming into our country could immediately balloon into 1,000 plus with spouses, children and family members accompanying them.”

Unions along with the church are “concerned that an inflationary crisis could develop” with many people needing goods and services being able to afford them in light of high salaries, the coalition said.

“Prices could go up on basic food items, real estate, education, insurances, and other essential services. The tragedy would be in the middle and lower economic brackets who would be further pushed down because of the explosion of this grave injustice.”