Government will not allow Barbadians to be outnumbered by Chinese workers on the multimillion-dollar Scotland District Road Rehabilitation Project which is being financed through a Chinese bank loan.
This assurance was given by Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources Santia Bradshaw during debate in the House of Assembly yesterday on a resolution that will see over $256 million being borrowed from China.
It will be executed by the Chinese company Complant which will employ some Chinese workers. However, Bradshaw said the labour split will be 80/20 in favour of Barbadians. This was in contrast, she pointed out, to the previous situation where a 60/40 split favoured Chinese coming to do work in Barbados.
“The Barbados Labour Party through its negotiating team has made sure that we not only protect Barbadians, but we also are able to work alongside people who have greater expertise than us to be able to help to rebuild and to restore our road infrastructure.
“We ain’t give ‘way nothing to nobody. We are accepting the assistance by way of this level of financing, but we are also making it abundantly clear that our people must be at the centre of development of this country when it comes to road infrastructure,” Bradshaw asserted. (GC)
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