The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

WORK ground to a halt at Bahama Rock yesterday as employees walked off the job to press the government to approve a proposed expansion they say is needed to keep the Grand Bahama plant operating and protect more than 80 jobs.

The protest comes as Bahama Rock, owned by Martin Marietta, nears the end of its current dredging operations and prepares for a temporary 60-day shutdown that workers said will send about 84 employees home.

The company is seeking government approval to acquire and mine about 290 acres at the site of the former Bahamas Cement plant, but the proposal has faced concerns from nearby residents over blasting, dust and noise.

Employees gathered outside the company’s gate yesterday carrying placards highlighting Bahama Rock’s role in major developments, including Baha Mar, the harbour and Celebration Key.

Kevin Evans, who has worked at the company for 19 years, said employees want the government and management to reach an agreement that would allow the expansion to proceed.

“We are fighting for our jobs,” Mr Evans said.

He said Bahama Rock has made significant contributions to Grand Bahama and the wider country.

The stoppage also disrupted construction activity, with hauling trucks parked outside the plant unable to collect aggregate.

One trucker, identified as JC, said he had been waiting since 7.45am to collect sand for a crew preparing to pour concrete.

“I get paid by delivery,” he said. “My truck is a 20-ton, and I make ten runs a day, and it is affecting me; I make about $1,100. I want the gates open and (for the workers) to get back to work.”

Other truckers who depend on the plant also couldn't collect material for construction projects.

For Bahama Rock employees, however, the immediate concern is what happens when the planned shutdown begins.

Alvin Wilson, the lead in the electrical department who has worked at the company for 22 years, said workers were told they would be temporarily laid off for 60 days.

“We just out here showing support for each other,” Mr Wilson said, “to see where our future and where we heading.”

He said employees remain uncertain about what comes next.

“We just want to know what's going on,” Mr Wilson said, “because we really don't know.”

Mr Wilson said losing their income, even temporarily, would affect employees and their families.

“It will affect everyone,” he said, “because everybody comes to work expecting an income. Everybody will be affected.”

Arnetta Rollins, who has worked at Bahama Rock for 12 years, said the plant’s importance extends beyond its employees because its aggregate is used in construction throughout The Bahamas.

“Y'all foundation starts here with us,” Ms Rollins said.

She said Bahama Rock supplies material used for roads, houses, hospitals, businesses and block manufacturing.

“Without material,” Ms Rollins said, “how can we build low-cost homes, our roads, our hospitals?”

The push by workers comes as some Eight Mile Rock residents have raised objections to the proposed expansion.

At a Department of Environmental Planning and Protection town meeting on the project’s environmental impact assessment, residents complained that previous blasting operations had caused cracks in homes and raised concerns about dust and noise.

Harold Williams, a Bahama Rock production employee of five years, said workers were not dismissing those concerns.

“Besides being an employee, I'm a Grand Bahamian,” Mr Williams said. “I was born and raised here.”

“By no means,” he said, “would I want any communities to be affected by what we are doing here.”

Mr Williams nevertheless argued that Bahama Rock plays an important role in the country’s economic development, pointing to its supply of aggregate for operations and developments including the Freeport Container Port, Grand Bahama Shipyard and Celebration Key.

“We provide the foundation that the country builds on,” he said.

Mr Williams urged the government and company representatives to reach an agreement.

“We just want the ministers and the government to sit down with our heads in the company,” he said, “and just come with some type of common ground, some type of agreement, some type of way forward.”

Lavado Cooper Jr, who has worked at Bahama Rock for about a year while studying law, said the uncertainty could be particularly difficult for young workers.

Mr Cooper said he joined the company directly after school and relies on his earnings to help finance his education.

He also questioned what the loss of the country’s largest aggregate supplier could mean for availability and prices.

“When you close the biggest aggregate company in the Bahamas at large,” Mr Cooper asked, “where are we going to get the aggregate?”

He warned that reduced supply could increase prices and ultimately affect Bahamians.

Mr Cooper said Bahama Rock also contributes to the Grand Bahama economy, including about $5m annually in payments to the power company.

“It’s basically a trickle down,” he said. “And at the end of the day, the persons getting hurt are the Grand Bahamians.”

He also pointed to the company's community initiatives, including providing laptops to public school students and helping improve parks.

Workers said they want the government to balance residents’ environmental and community concerns against the economic importance of the operation.

“We want to get it out to the public,” Ms Rollins said. “Let the public know. We need their support.”

Bahama Rock is expected to temporarily shut down for 60 days while the government considers its proposed expansion and whether operations can continue beyond the company’s current dredging area.

TJ Mackey, Bahama Rock’s general manager, declined to comment. Workers said management supports their action.