Latest update May 14th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 29, 2015 News
China Harbour Engineering Corporation (CHEC), the foreign contractor for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Expansion Project, has been asked to submit a plethora of documentation to the Ministry of Social Protection.
This follows the discovery that one of its employees recently killed in a work related accident was in fact working in Guyana without a work permit.
This is according to Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Simona Broomes, who yesterday told Kaieteur News that to date she has been unable to see a single work permit for any of the employees on the project.
This, according to Minister Broomes, is an untenable situation, since all foreign nationals working in Guyana are required to have work permits in their possession.
Work permits for the Chinese labourers on the CJIA expansion project would have been handled by the then Ministry of Home Affairs. Broomes told this publication that the Ministry is still in the process of conducting its investigation but it is certainly not standard practice to have so many workers operating in Guyana without work permits.
According to Broomes, during the course of the investigation, the Ministry also found the employees to be working under vague contracts with their employers, contracts that have been written in Chinese and which the Ministry is seeking to get translated.
She said the Ministry has since requested detailed information from CHEC regarding its employees.
The situation with the work permits, “is very alarming,” according to Minister Broomes.
The Minister is also on record bemoaning the fact that there seemed to have been no measures in place on the part of CHEC, to safeguard employees when it comes to occupation health and safety.
The absence of work permits for the Chinese employees came to the fore a week ago when one of the employees was killed when a humus pit collapsed trapping two Chinese nationals – Engineers Zhang Yixun and Liu Li of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
Rescue efforts were immediately activated but Li died while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, had also requested that an investigation be launched into the incident.
CHEC is responsible for the health and safety of its employees on the work site.
Listen how to run an oil country
May 14, 2024
– Rugby Union peeved at silence from Government on request for National Park upgrade By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU), under the guidance of its...Kaieteur News – Bharrat Jagdeo needs a refresher to be able to better differentiate between a party’s foundational... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Is it ever justifiable for journalism to fan the flames of geopolitical tension? This question arises... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]