Government officials yesterday descended on a National Housing Corporation (NHC) contracted housing project in Brighton, St George, ordering the immediate removal of migrant workers who had been packed into unfinished houses.
The swift crackdown comes hot on the heels of yesterday’s MIDWEEK NATION exclusive investigation that exposed the shocking living conditions of workers from India and the Philippines hidden within the middleincome housing project.
Minister of Labour Colin Jordan told the DAILY NATION that officers from the Labour Department visited the site yesterday morning and had been addressing the matter throughout the day.
Last Sunday, a NATION team descended on the compound and was informed by Filipinos that as many as 13 of them were living in one of the houses. It was discovered that every room contained three to four makeshift beds. The kitchen had one small stove and the bathroom buckets. Clothes were hanging on the walls and thrown on beds. The walls of the newly-built houses were dirty and greasy, as were the kitchen cupboards.
Hit by thieves
The NHC contracted the building of the houses to developer Ismail Bhana. Forty-seven houses are being constructed on the site.
Bhana justified the workers living in three of the houses, pointing out that the construction site had been hit by thieves on multiple occasions. He also said he had enquired about a barrack licence from the Ministry of Health and Wellness but was informed that a house did not fall under the category of a barrack. He noted that the site had been inspected often by health officials.
Of yesterday’s crackdown, Jordan stated: “This morning officers of the Labour Department visited the workers housing in St George. The Department has been addressing the matter the entire day. We are taking a whole-of-Government approach, working with ministries, including the Ministry of Health and the Immigration Department. The approach is similar to that employed in the previous situation (JADA).”
He confirmed that the contractor was told the workers could not remain on the site.
“Once housing conditions are substandard, workers will not be permitted to reside in them,” Jordan said. “All of the requirements and permissions around the establishment and use of any structure for housing workers must be met – whether planning, electrical, environment or health. They must all be in place before any workers are housed in them. We are continuing our work to protect all workers, both Barbadian workers and migrant workers.”
Yesterday’s intervention comes exactly three weeks after a high-level team led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Jordan and officials from the Barbados Workers’ Union visited barracks occupied by migrant labourers employed by JADA Construction. That team condemned the living conditions and ordered the workers relocated immediately. JADA was subsequently forced to renovate the barracks and apply for a barrack licence before the workers could return.
Pull agencies together
When asked for an update on the JADA situation, Jordan said it was still being processed through multiple Government channels.
“These matters go beyond Ministry of Labour and they definitely go beyond Ministry of Health as well. There are a number of other agencies that have to weigh in. While Government is traditionally seen as very siloed, we are working to pull agencies together so that we can address these things holistically,” he said.
He listed the agencies involved in these investigations as the Immigration Department, Planning and Development Department, Barbados Fire Service, Government Electrical Engineering Department, the Environmental Department and the Barbados Water Authority.
(Nation News Desk)