The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Abaco is “not even close” to the manpower levels required for post-Dorian reconstruction, the island’s Chamber of Commerce has confirmed, while asserting that all workers must be here “legally”.

Ken Hutton, responding to assertions by former finance minister, James Smith, that the speed of the island’s post-Dorian rebuilding could be undermined by the government deporting much of the necessary workforce back to Haiti, said any foreign labour that is required needed to possess a work permit and the necessary permissions to enter The Bahamas.

Asked whether Abaco has sufficient labour to handle the island-wide recovery, Mr Hutton said: “Not even close. I think who is working in this country should be here working legally. If they are going to work here they have to be processed properly like everyone else.

“I think that we need more workers there. We need to fill that gap, and if we need to bring foreigners then we have to, but anyone who wants to work here must got through the process legally.”

Quentin Knowles, the Bahamas Society of Engineers (BSE) president, conceded that the construction industry “heavily depends on Haitian labour” to perform tasks for which Bahamians are unavailable or unwilling to do the work.

While suggesting that there was sufficient manpower in The Bahamas to meet Abaco’s post-Dorian needs, he added that finding suitable available accommodation to house such a workforce will prove challenging given the extent of damage to the island’s housing stock.

“As a contractor, I think one of the biggest constraints will be housing for construction workers,” he said. “In order to make construction happen you need people to do the work, and they need somewhere to live - at least a bed and somewhere to eat. “