President of the Dominica Builders and Contractors Association of Dominica (BCAD), Anthony Leblanc, has warned that there is going to be a pinch in the construction industry.
He said this is due to problems in the supply chain for building material and the lack of skilled people for construction after the passage of Hurricane Maria.
He was speaking at a press conference for an upcoming Housing & Construction Symposium organized by the Dominica Business Forum.
“We are very concerned about the cost of construction to existing homeowners,” he said. “In fact, our concern has been the supply chain, the supply chain not only dealing with material but labor, and our concern has been over the years that we do not have adequate skilled, trained competent persons out there.”
Leblanc stated that there is a ‘pinch’ coming in the sector, probably in a few weeks time.
“I don’t think we have seen the pinch yet, the pinch is going to come a little bit later, in a few weeks time when more and more people have money from the insurances, from renegotiation of their mortgages to reconstructing their houses and getting a contractor,” he noted.
He pointed out the problem will not do with the number of contractors, but getting contractors that are skilled, able and adequate to employ.
“What I can foresee, it has already started happening, is the price of construction, the cost of labor is going to increase significantly,” he stated. “And the only way we can abate that is to have significant and continuous training.”
He said such concern was express to the government before and after Maria.
“To my knowledge, nothing has been done to assist,” Leblanc stated.
He also said that the association has been asking for a meeting with Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, but this has not materialized.
“Our last correspondence with the government was actually a few days ago asking for an update of the promise of a letter that they wrote us on the 8th of December 2017 saying the Prime Minister would be eager to meet with us but unfortunately we have not had that meeting,” Leblanc said.
Outsource guyanese contractors for a brief period that can help to cushen the construction sector email amarchetram@yahoo i can help get some workers
Where in Gods green earth do you expect an underpaid worker to work for more than his pay.
Instead of warning of the PINCH why don’t the builders association take the initiative to bring the materials needed to Dominica. Probably it is an opportunity for them to open a business to serve the public with the quality of materials needed.
Skills are vastly underrated. Thirteen years ago when I suggested apprenticeships for mechanical engineers, it was assumed that the skill could be learnt in six weeks rather than six years and then some.
We no longest have skilled carpenters but “construction workers”. From my observations, not one has been taught how to correctly hold a saw or drive a nail.
And who is to do that Mr. Burnett?
Welcome to Skerrits Dominica. I don’t want to be here no more. If there is one thing I can’t stand it’s nepotism and corruption. I admit that this is the birthplace of my parents, but I can’t identify myself no longer with this place. I feel like a political refugee. It’s so sad!!!
So Neville
How was Mr. Leblanc’s Association going to build the 1000 homes that they want to take the government to court for outsourcing to a Barbadian firm? I would be the first to say if a Dominican can do a job you cannot pass it out to a non-Dominican. Totally against that.
However, does Mr. leblanc know the kind of frustration that house owners have been going through with Dominican contractors long before Maria? It is now that Maria has pulled out parts of roofs that Dominican home-owners have become aware of some of the sub-standard work that was done on their roofs after paying through their teeth for them.
Now, isn’t building a skill and career area like any other? So if an event occurs and it turns out that there are insufficient accountants on the island to take up the work it suddenly becomes the government’s responsibility to have trained sufficient accountants for such an eventuality? Of course if the government is using tax payers’ money …….
……..to finance training nationally, it must do the homework to identify the priority areas and spend the money there, but to try to put the shortage of skilled labour on the government seems to me kind of illogical.
What is the role of the builders’ association in ensuring available skills to do the work that they are always fighting and going to court for? Shouldn’t that be one of their responsibilities in organising training? And while they are at it run some ethics sessions for their contractors so they stop ripping people off?
So if the private sector has a shortage of secretarial or customs brokerage or IT skills it is the government which must train the employees for them? what has happened to student loans that some other people had to take to pay for their training in order to gain and keep employment?
Please note that what I am saying has nothing to do with Maria, the problem was there before. The magnitude of Maria only intensified it.
That’s good. Is time people here stop paying labour 40 dollars a day and trade men 75. And FYI if you go to ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the Caribbean Islands the BESTTTTTTTT trades men are ALWAYS DOMINICANS
That might be the case but they are also lazy and like to overcharge and these are not hallmarks of a good tradesman though. Greed will be the downfall of them all.
There has been a “pinch” for a long, long time. Getting a decent builder is not easy over here. Getting people who want to work, have pride in their workmanship, charge a fair price and actually know what they are doing can be likened to finding a needle in a haystack in Dominica.
Thank you Anonymous 2
For Pete’s sake not everything can be pinned on Skerrit! Dominicans have been ripped off for many, many years by tradesmen who want to charge the highest professional fees for “cobbler-type” work output.They even take your money and work on other projects.
Our PM will import some Chinese to work on our houses for free. we just have to give them food like rice or spaghetti.
Shortsightedness and gross incompetence is severely hampering progress in Dominica. The education sector should have been complimented with a division producing and turning out skilled students like a factory into the workforce. Tweak the curricula to satisfy the needs of the workforce. Mr. Skerrit’s almost two decades at the helm of power has done very little, if anything, to move the needle forward for Dominicans to strive. One knows that the construction sector would play a significant role in the physical rebuilding of the country. The PM should have initiated a meeting with this group to discuss pertinent matters and legitimate concerns related to reconstruction. All the ‘leader’ cares about is drawing favorable attention to himself to decorate his over-inflated eggshell ego.
Nobody wants to do hard work. They prefer to stay mesmerized by their phones and electronic devices.
hahahahaa..funny and true..what’s missing is to educate our young people from an early age on what’s important for their own survival..unless the cell phone is putting money in ur pocket, priority should be given to the things that do put money in ur pocket.
“What I can foresee, it has already started happening, is the price of construction, the cost of labor is going to increase significantly,” he stated. “And the only way we can abate that is to have significant and continuous training.”
I don’t understand. Is it the government responsibility to provide skilled labor for the building sector? There should have been an apprenticeship program sponsored by the contractors association which would be beneficial for the both the young unemployed youths and the contractors looking for workers. There would be a pool of skilled labor for the contractors draw from which would preserve the building sector in Dominica. They would have been prepared for this. But these young people must want to work also.
Yes it is in certain respects. Where is the Youth Skills Training Program that focuses on “specific” skilled trades that are needed for local development? What about the college or youth division in conjunction with the various associations offering “crash courses” in skills training (carpentry, masonry, joinery, plumbing, heavy equipment operations etc) in various communities? Take it to the youth because they can’t always come to Roseau..no money.
Getting the wheels in motion require government intervention but if the PM will not meet with those requesting a meeting with him then how are we going to move forward. Again, the one man government has no vision and so the people suffer. Wake up Dcans..
Assertive like the rod of Moses!
Even if the government where to do all these thing you mention. They still have no experience in their craft. No contractor is going to hire a kid who just left school with a ” crash course” in their trade and put them to work on a project to do major work thats worth thousands or millions of dollars. That contractor is risking his reputation if he does that. Theres still a lot of things these new workers do not know that may take years to learn.
They have to do on the job training as apprentice but I suppose thats the government responsibility as well.
So you are qualifying the PM’s decision when he grants contracts to foreign firms to construct bridges, roads, buildings etc. (lack of skilled personnel)
Dominica IS in a sorry state of affairs. NO help from the Authorities. Look I hear Silver Lake is in danger and they not seeing about it. God please help us.
God is not on the internet, stop asking God for help, he/it/she has already abandoned everybody!
My Name
Silver Lake used to be in all kind of danger. Physical, moral and otherwise. It was even known as “fly city” until “they saw about it” and elevated them to concrete apartments, running water, washing machines, etc. etc.
Now everybody knows about Silver Lake, just like the Carib Territory and even want to make unfair comments about those places. We must learn to be fair. Maria put several communities in danger. There is hardly a community that can be considered completely safe after Maria, due to our terrain.
Bath Estate’s paradise Valley lower down is in danger. There was just a slide in Loubiere exposing a part of that community to danger. Turn Skerrit into God because he can do everything from Magic to gymnastics to preventing Maria from coming to Dominica and then get upset when he really thinks he is God.
There must be a pinch when there are mountains of containers of building material stuck at the port.
My sources told me the people at the port are picking and choosing which containers are released based on who is connected to whom and who is prepared to pass money under the table.
I wonder whose hands are getting greased and at what level is this reaching.
Mr. Leblanc, all you have to do is go on radio and say the PM is the best thing that ever happened to Dca like a Senior PAST-Straw…sorry PASTOR and by close of that business day he will contact you with a date and time for the meeting
. Now as soon as he gets there day-car-lay him with questions and press for changes because he will not return. Dr. Pun only responds to those who “suck-up” to him by stroking his already inflated ego.
Assertive like LL!
We will have to import the skilled labour to keep the price down and the timeline in tact. We need to have homes build asap
Where will you import that skilled labour from to keep the price down? Wages in all our neighbouring islands are higher than in Dominica plus you will have to accommodate these workers. Good luck.
Instead of looking for reasons why something cant work, think of how it could work. Stretch your brains a little, you can do it! Best of luck.