Govt, where are the jobs?

THE EDITOR: As Member of Parliament for Pointe-a-Pierre, the constituency in which the multimillion-dollar Phoenix Park project is being constructed, I am calling on Government to tell us how many jobs have been provided for our constituents on this project given the significant unemployment they face.

Based on the Minister of Trade and Industry’s recent boast to the media that over 81 per cent of the labour force was recruited locally, as well as in the coming months employees on the project would rise to 1,000, the minister must now be transparent with the people of Pointe a Pierre and inform them how many of these remaining jobs will be allocated my constituents.

The energy belt of Pointe-a-Pierre contains some of the most dynamic, talented and skilled members of the national workforce but have been hindered for employment due to this government’s destruction of Petrotrin and now the demise of Point Lisas. Thousands who were once employed at Petrotrin are still waiting on government’s promise of reopening of the refinery, while thousands more in fence line industries have lost livelihoods due to broken promises of fence line support.

It is on this premise we call on the minister to undertake a specific program which will target those who have been significantly affected not only by the energy sector fall out within the constituency but those who have also been derailed by the pandemic.

Government has a duty to the people of Pointe-a-Pierre given the massive blow it dealt them in 2018 with the closure of Petrotrin. It would be an insult to the taxpayers of this constituency that while millions of their tax dollars are being utilised to build such a significant project on their “doorsteps,” their skills, abilities and moreso need for employment have been neglected.

Furthermore, I remind the Minister of Trade and Industry that her government’s budget theme for this fiscal year is “Resetting the economy for growth and innovation.” Therefore, the ministry should be innovative in future negotiations to ensure companies vying to utilise this industrial estate commit to hiring a certain percentage of constituents in their commercial activities.

DAVID LEE

MP, Pointe-a-Pierre