The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Government should renegotiate The Pointe deal if the developer has not met the $200m project's prescribed ratio of Bahamian labour, the Contractors Association's (BCA) president said yesterday.

Speaking at the BCA's monthly luncheon meeting, Leonard Sands said: "The major issue we have is not with development at the Pointe, but how development is going on and the lack of information and clarity on how Bahamian contractors and employees are to be involved in it.

"One of the things the BCA continues to get is concern from our members over the fact that there is no way to find out at what point, and what stage, do Bahamian contractors have an opportunity to engage in the project."

The Heads of Agreement for the Pointe, tabled in Parliament last year, granted CCA between 400-500 work permits for the $200 million development. The deal, dated June 18, 2015, stipulated that Bahamians would comprise 70 per cent of the total construction workforce, once those employed by local sub-contractors were included in the calculation.

Bahamian sub-contractors were supposed to receive "approximately 40 per cent of development work.... in various classifications", although these were not listed. The Heads of Agreement requires 70 per cent Bahamian labour on the project's construction. The Department of Labour recently conducted a workforce census at the development, although its findings have not yet been released.

"From day one we were saying there is a red flag that should be going up because we don't see that 70/30 ratio being represented there," Mr Sands said. "We understand that the Ministry of Labour did a survey, and they are going to report back to Cabinet.

"We hope that they come back to us and tell us something, because it seems to me that there is a violation of the Heads of Agreement. If there is a violation there needs to be a discussion on concessions; do they get renegotiated? I think the Government should, if it is found that that Heads of Agreement terms are not being met, renegotiate that Heads of Agreement with The Pointe."