Amid the furore over the Marriott contractor using only Chinese workers, the Chinese contractor for the Timehri airport expansion project has advertised for local workers.
In an advertisement in yesterday’s Stabroek News, China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (Guyana) advertised vacancies for: a quality assurance and quality control engineer who must have five years experience, an occupational health and safety and environmental engineer who must have five years experience, a secretary, a driver, a human resources officer and a cleaner.
Applications have to be sent to tessacrandon @ yahoo.com or jfzhu@chec.bj.cn
The issue of the employment of Chinese only on the actual construction of the Marriott Hotel has angered local labour groups. The government’s point man on the Marriott, Winston Brassington has cited productivity and skills concerns. He has also said that the government was able to negotiate downwards the cost of building the hotel because of the use of Chinese labour. Critics have questioned this assertion and called for more information to substantiate this.
It is unclear if CHEC will be bringing in Chinese workers for the US$138M expansion project for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri. CHEC drew adverse publicity here over the secrecy in which its contract was agreed and because the first mention of the expansion project came in a Jamaican newspaper.
On November 18, 2011 CHEC announced in the Jamaica Observer newspaper that it had secured a contract for a modern terminal for the CJIA, Timehri.
The Guyana Government made no announcement of the award prior to the report in the Jamaican newspaper. A Government Information Agency statement, issued later that day said that Cabinet had approved a US$138 million design and construction contract with CHEC.
The China Exim Bank will fund the construction of the modern terminal building and the extension of the runway by 1,066 metres to reach a total of 3,336 metres at the airport.
