PHILIPSBURG–Labour Minister Emil Lee, accompanied by several other members of the Council of Ministers, recently attended a site tour of Diamond and Flamingo Resorts.
The tour, organised by general contractor Bouygues Construction, was an opportunity for Lee to see first-hand the recently-hired graduates of the skills training programme initiated by the Ministry of Labour, assess the safety and health regulations in the workplace, which also fall under the Inspectorate of Labour, and the implementation of the incidental permit policy requirements.
Securing labour opportunities for locals is also a fundamental objective of the Ministry.
“It was very nice to meet some of the skills-training graduates now employed and working on these sites making use of the skills they acquired at NIPA [National Institute for Professional Advancement – Ed.],” Lee said.
With government supporting the speedy recovery of the economy, Lee said the rebuilding of the country should always include local participation for the country and people to truly benefit. Hotel and timeshare properties are coming back online and this is important for more local employment in the hospitality industry to be secured.
The Ministry supports the recovery of the economy and has been facilitating the construction sector’s demands for workers through local labour, retraining of local labour and with the establishment of the incidental permit policy for foreign skilled labourers.
Bouygues Construction was one of the companies that made use of the incidental permit policy, which requires that housing not sourced from the local housing market be provided for workers, to not cause any displacement of locals or drive up residential rental prices because of the demand.
“Bouygues certified in their application process that housing would be provided onsite and so this was an opportunity for me to actually see what the living conditions were and how this was arranged in terms of hygiene as well,” Lee said.
The Ministry is available to support companies in adhering to the applicable laws by providing them with information and assisting with hiring local workers. Lee said he had been informed about a compliance check recently undertaken by the general contractor. This included all company staff, subcontractors and their staff. Those that did not meet the compliance check, which included properly documented workers, were asked to leave the site.
The Inspectorate of Labour has an ongoing campaign to strengthen workplace safety and health. Lee was “very interested” to see how these regulations were being applied on the construction site.
Companies interested in more information on the campaign or compliance regulations should contact the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs VSA Inspectorate at the Vineyard Office Park or via tel. 721-520-3926.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/88553-lee-says-rebuilding-should-include-local-participation
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