CONTRACTORS for the Warrens Traffic Safety Improvement Project have been told that better traffic flow and pedestrian safety were not negotiable.
They were also told that in addition to delivering the project on time, maintaining adequate staff should be at the forefront of the project’s execution.
The directives came from Minister of Public Works and Transport John Boyce during debate in the House of Assembly yesterday on a supplementary resolution for $28.4 million of which $12.1 million will go to this project.
He said the Ministry of Finance had decided to go ahead with the project not only as a solution to Warrens traffic congestion, “but as part of its programme to ensure some level of employment in the construction sector”.
“So when we approved a $43 million contract, we expect the contractor besides the deliverables – which are on time delivery of the project – to also bear in mind we expect the contractor to maintain adequate employment of staff, because that is part of the contribution of the Government of Barbados towards the question of employment in Barbados.
“It is a question we have made clear to the contractor and we will be trying our level best to make sure that these factors are in the forefront of the execution of the project.”
Boyce also said that if Government did not do construction and developmental work it would not have an economy.
“We have to make sure that our contractors understand their side of the bargain and we reserve the right to come and ask questions about how we are being served in this regard.
“I think that the contractor understands that this is something that we are also monitoring with them as time goes along.”
For more reports from Parliament see today’s DAILY NATION.
