Workers at The Pointe development site.
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
IN response to growing public concern centred on the workforce make-up of The Pointe, officials have conducted a census of the compound, Labour Minister Dion Foulkes confirmed yesterday.
Inspectors from the Department of Labour, Mr Foulkes said, visited The Pointe on Friday to perform a headcount.
However, he was still unable to say how many Bahamian workers there are to foreign labourers on the project, telling The Tribune yesterday he was awaiting the completion of a report from the census.
This comes the day after Bahamian Contractor’s Association President Leonard Sands said officials must descend on the downtown Nassau project to conduct a physical count of its workers to determine whether the Heads of Agreement is being adhered to.
The Heads of Agreement between CCA and the government states 70 per cent of the workers are supposed to be Bahamian and 30 per cent should be foreign.
This would be the first time the Department of Labour physically checked The Pointe’s Construction site since May 2017.
More than a week ago Tribune photographers monitored who went on to the site and with the exception of three or four Bahamians and a guard at the gates of the development, everyone else appeared to be Chinese.
Previously, this newspaper observed workers on the site in both January and February and it was a similar story. Dozens of Chinese builders walked on to the site every day from a building, which lodges the workers opposite the development, and virtually no Bahamians were anywhere to be seen.
Comments
TalRussell 6 years ago
Ma governing red comrades will forever be known as the government who hijacked public purse conduct one useless census after another, arresting those connected former PLP government, blocking Queens official opposition from entering Peoples Honourable House of Assembly, political payback patronage appointments, outright lying the 91,409 voting red shirts during 2017 general election, ducking transparency over Oban and likes hundred other this and that, continuation PLPs policy of issuing contracts without putout to tender, continuation funding Kanaval, spending yet unknown millions dollars from public purse on audit after audit and threatening the poor and near poor with confiscating they's cans corned beef and most distributing is hiding the truth over FAKE Oban signature right on floor of the Peoples Honourable House of Assembly.
proudloudandfnm 6 years ago
Waiting??? If they counted on Friday he'd have the numbers by friday night.
Damn...
ACCP 6 years ago
This country is so backwards...The minister went there himself and couldn't give an account of how many builders or worker's are working on the propety....I cry shame on you sir ...your ONE of my favorites, but it's clear your an uneducated idiot just as the rest of those parliamentarians
TheMadHatter 6 years ago
Yesterday i did a count of the shoes in my closet. I wanted to know how many dress shoes vs tennis vs sandals i have. I completed the count, but i'm still waiting on the compilation of a report. I sent the raw data to my cousin to type up. I cant wait for the results.
Porcupine 6 years ago
Yup. No difference.
Emac 6 years ago
"However, he was still unable to say how many Bahamian workers there are to foreign labourers on the project, telling The Tribune yesterday he was awaiting the completion of a report from the census."
Translation-"According to the report, CCA is definitely in breach of the Heads of Agreement. So Let me call the people there so we can agree on a way to resolve this matter without public outrage or without the Bahamian people being made fully aware of what is really going on"
joeblow 6 years ago
Wouldn't be surprised if 70% of Chinese workers have Bahamian passports!
bogart 6 years ago
Ok...ok.ok...now is a good time to brung it up...on every construction site where there are dangers and workers are mandated to follow strict guidelines.....such as a sign in out register to see who is on site left or who is missing...Perhaps the officials can check the Register.
sealice 6 years ago
And announcing it in all the papers didn't give the chinks any warning at all that it was coming..... miracle of miracles.... dey ain't no chingros no mo......
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years ago
Dion Foulkes must think we are all stupid. He should be inspecting:
1) Payroll and National Insurance records; and
2) Number of work permits issued.
Head count my arse!!!!!
bogart 6 years ago
Cheeky devil.!!
sheeprunner12 6 years ago
Why did it take the Tribune's expose to get the BCA boss (former FNM candidate Sands) to holler?????? ............ HMMMMMMMMMM ............ Kudos to the Tribune on this story.
Dawes 6 years ago
If they are not agreeing to the terms of the HOA then stop work until they adhere to them. Why is it that we never enforce anything in this country.
SP 6 years ago
Foulkes double talk is sounding more like bullshyt every day! All Dion needs now is a little shuffle and some hair dye and he'll be right on par with Perry Christie.
TalRussell 6 years ago
Ma Comrades, every red shirt House MP has be asking how many the 91,409 who voted for them 10th May, 2017 are reasonable people.... meaning they refuse buy into bullshi# being pedaled by the very people they either voted for, or the PM elevated or appointed them to the upper red chamber, or government positions paid for out the cash starved public purse... and they has know at least 15,677 diet exists off eatin corned beef at least three times week.
Required 6 years ago
They make it sound as if counting heads is more demanding than tallying Junkanoo results.
OMG 6 years ago
Simple add Bahamians and add foreign workers. Time taken 3 hours tops. Information released by evening. Reports----bullshit.
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