Skilled Cuban workers coming

Hurricane Maria devastated Dominica last September

Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has announced that Dominica will be signing an agreement with Cuba for 100 skilled workers to assist the island in its recovery efforts after the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria.

The workers will include engineers, ‘highly skilled people,’ and electricians, Skerrit said at a Mahaut Village Council roof repair program.

“We are finalizing an agreement with the government of Cuba where we will be bringing in 100 skilled men and women into Dominica to help us fix the homes and reconstruct our country,” he stated.

He noted that he is hoping the agreement will be signed on Monday.

“We are working on the transportation of these people into Dominica. So we will be having some engineers as part of the team and also highly skilled people…and also about 30 or so electricians to help with the re-wiring of homes across Dominica,” the Prime Minister remarked.

He said he hopes that the Cubans come to Dominica in March to assist with recovery projects.

“Don’t let us fool ourselves, we do not have a 100 years to put a roof over people’s heads. As a matter of fact, we don’t even have many months to do so…and I am hoping we can get our Cuban friends here in Dominica in the month of March to assist us in that very important project,” Skerrit said.

Hurricane Maria devastated Dominica in September last year. According to official figures, 31 people have been confirmed dead and 34 missing and presumed dead.

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33 Comments

  1. Illuminator
    March 6, 2018

    A good initiative by the Government.
    One trusts that the arrangements have been put in place to ensure that in the following weeks the work by the Cubans will not be spoilt by comments such as, “oh is only labourites home they fixing…….oh is only labour constituencies they working in……..the normal political allegations and overshadowing of everything by politics. Lessons learnt are going to be critical in our attempts at rebuilding a more resilient Dominica. Let’s see how this one works out. The issues with the recent World Bank farmer assistance program provide some meaningful learning opportunities, if we want to learn from them that is.

  2. Carrotop
    March 6, 2018

    Where are these workers from Cuba staying, at the Moracan Hotel.

  3. sigh
    March 6, 2018

    If you gonna make a ridiculous comment. Please learn to SPELL. So much children that going and study apparently you didn’t go with them IF YOU CANNOT even spell “COLLEGE” it’s not “COLLAGE”

    Dominica do have skill workers but NOT NEARLY ENOUGH for the work we need. Our population is below 70Gs. CUBA, CHINA, TOKYO , RUSSIA etc has tons of great engineers specializing in all kinds of different fields. We have skilled engineers but the REALITY IS These countries HAVE A LOT MORE THAN US.

    Stop being an average Dominican and believe we are GREAT IN EVERYTHING. Their is a big world outdere and everybody has something to bring to the table. Dominicans always crying for jobs they cannot do.

    Why we cannot just face THEIR ARE SOME JOBS THE CHINESE\CUBANS DO BETTER THAN US and Their are Some JOBS we can do better than them. It’s that simple.

    Haven’t you given a job to someone that is not in your family ? Does that mean ur family “lame”? NO.
    Just mean a next guy can do a…

    • Me
      March 6, 2018

      Sigh, please, remove the beam from your eye before the splinter in some one else’s and embarrass yourself
      – gonna =slang for going to’
      – much children = many children.
      – Dominica do have = Dominica does have.
      – Tokyo is not a country but a town in Japan.
      – outdere = out there.
      – ur family = your family.
      This is apart from the inappropriate use of capital letters. Thank you.

  4. Jolie
    March 6, 2018

    Where are all the Dominican who the Dominica government sending to collage all over the world why they not coming back and help the country.Country like Trinidad who send kids to collage they have to come back and serve their country now you need Cubans to come and fixed your country and every year Dominicans students coming out top in American collages send for them to help your country.Invest in your kids education but they have to come and work and help your country.Look at the health care system so many people dying senseless come on government this is 2018 grow up.

    • Watching
      March 7, 2018

      Well Jolie some domincns do come and get jerk around in dominica and have to run back. I came back with a degree and was unable to work under the management and board of aid bank and had to take my degree elsewhere. So those statements are too broad to me made. Skilled workers come back and get frustrated with the system. So sorry I don’t advise anybody to return . We don’t value our own, And politics is destroying us.

  5. Truth Be Told
    March 6, 2018

    Time out for carnival but now you all realise how exposed and vulnerable most citizens are while still leaving roofless and under tarpaulin . During the time out for carnival didn’t you all realise that we do not have moths? We do not have the luxury to drink and party while our people suffer?…………………….. This hurricane season will be the cry. Cuba just next door and always willing to assist the Caribbean but it took you this long to make these arrangement? Too busy during the carnival, PM? God help my fellow Dominicans! This Labour Party victimisation and exploit of Dominica and Dominicans make me sick to the bones!

    • RandyX
      March 7, 2018

      But at least they had a nice carnival. Most Dominicans are easily pleased

  6. DNO not moderating
    March 5, 2018

    DNO is playing games with us. They asking us to post our comments but when we take time to comment, they not moderating.
    What I want to say is the state of Dominica and the state of West Indies cricket are the same. The sad thing supporters of West Indies cricket that are also supporters of Skerrit will lambaste WIC but defend Skerrit for the very same thing . For example both west Indies cricket and Dominica are suffering from very bad leadership. Both west Indies and Skerrit have failed their fans . Both the management of West Indies cricket and the government of Dominica made us worse off than where they met us; both west Indies and our government don’t seem to see the local talents and as a result both have to look to foreign for rescue. Example, west Indies have to go foreign for head coach, bowling coach, batting coach, physio, advisors etc though we once produced some of the best. Skerrit has to go abroad for electricians, roofers, engineers, advisors, bridge builders etc

  7. in these times
    March 5, 2018

    oh praise jesus. Those guys know how to work. Most highways androadways in Cuba are clean and taken care of. Unlike here

  8. My bad
    March 5, 2018

    If Skilled Cuban workers or skilled people from any nationality realize there is work for them in Dominica and as a result choose to come here to work that would be understandable. But for our government to go to Cuba and work on bringing down electricians and roofers definitely points to a failed government and a failed nation. I mean when Skerrit came into office he met high quality electricians, engineers, builders, public works farmers and land for an international airport that prompted locals to invest their money in heavy equipments. Today we have nothing and have to go foreign for everything? Boss is either ur policies have run people out or you have taken a well calculated decision to cripple the people for your political gsin

  9. A True Dominican
    March 5, 2018

    Thanks P M Skerrit in getting these skilled workers to assist in the recovery effort. Much help is needed to build back our beloved country

    • Neville
      March 8, 2018

      You see, I rest my case. That’s the mentality, get foreign workers to do the work while we sit around, play Dominos, have a glass of sewo and make sure they do their work properly. Skerrit succeeded and turned a once proud nation into ordinary beggars. It’s Skerrits variation of socialism.

  10. Hmph!
    March 5, 2018

    Great! I love to hear that. This should have been done earlier. The next step is to import materials so that people can gt busy with reconstructin their house.

  11. Da passports
    March 5, 2018

    See what laborites do de country boi…

  12. Maria
    March 5, 2018

    Is the Government of Dominica taking advantage of the generosity of the Cuban people and Cuban government? Skerrit gives multi-million dollar, lucrative contracts to some foreign developers for the construction of thousands of houses, not giving the Cubans an opportunity and now he asks Cuba to supply construction workers.

  13. My little take
    March 5, 2018

    Under Skerrit even wanted criminals like Monfared we importing. The man has stripped the country of all it’s resources and pride, to the point that we are left with nothing worth while to help us rebuild. Since Maria the man could not find a financial advisor in Dominica or in the Diaspora, that was competent enough to help, so he had to go to Barbados to get one. We didn’t have anyone here or in the diaspora that could help dredging our rivers so he had to go to Barbados & Trinidad to find them. We didn’t have enough heavy equipments to help with the cleaning and rebuilding of Dominica, so he had to go get some Red Trucks in Trinidad. Seems like all our builders died during Maria so he had to go Trinidad and Barbados to bring down builders. Erika and Maria killed our public works people so he had to go to China for workers. Now he going to Cuba for engineers, highly skilled people,’ and electricians, to help with roofs man? Can you all not see we sliding backwards man?

  14. Perfect Idiot
    March 5, 2018

    Skerrit is confirming that Da was better off post David, almost 40 years ago, than we are post Maria. Post David we didn’t have to import engineers, “highly skilled people,’ and electricians, to help roof repair program because Dominicans we’re able to do it. We had the money and didn’t have to depend on no damn government or politicians to help us out. We wee selling our bananas, our copra, our plantains, mangoes, citrus, dasheen, Tania, etc and had our own money to help build our country. Forty years later, 18 under your reign, we have no money, no skilled people according to you, no unskilled, because thanks to you NEP that did nothing other than creating laziness and dependence on government, our skilled and unskilled alike don’t want to work and have no money and as a result, you have to import workers to do everything! This is a testament of your failure as PM and a little preview of the future you have created for us. You importing ambassadors, advisors, skilled…

  15. Perfect Idiot
    March 5, 2018

    Skerrit is once again confirming that he sees Dominicans as good for nothing as far as skills are concerned and our only value is to come down to vote for him. When it’s election time he seems to know where Dominicans are and find ways to bribe them down but when it’s time to spread the bread he doesn’t know if we have local skills people at home or in the diaspora. PM DA has several skilled people in the diaspora and are doing top jobs for top companies and governments around the world, as close as Guadalupe and Antigua and as far as the US, Canada and the UK. Did you try to bring down any? Also, when St. Maarten and USVI we’re destroyed by Irma a week before Maria destroyed us, you told Dominicans residing in those countries that they should, stay to help build back those islands. In fact you said you spoke to one of a leader of those islands and he was so happy his country had Dominicans that experienced David in 1979 so they could help rebuild. But they not good enough for…

  16. RandyX
    March 5, 2018

    This man definitely hasn’t got a clue. He is totally incapable of managing the situation Dominica finds itself in at the moment. He goes to a DLP stronghold village council office spouts an hour of nonsensical red propaganda and believes he is managing Dominicas crisis. To make matters worse the fools in attendance were probably shouting: hail Skerrit, we love our PM

  17. Sams
    March 5, 2018

    So what u trying to tell us Dominicans can’t work smh

    • Yo
      March 6, 2018

      No Dominicans don’t want work. I saw Cubans fixing roof in Collihaut school and the locals playing domino. Come closer, joint them, give them a bottle of water, do something THANKS

  18. Vernon
    March 5, 2018

    That is very interesting. Isn’t it only just this morning I heard the PM asking for Dominicans to come home to help rebuild?

    I didn’t hear the level of details that I am seeing now for the Cubans. These were some of the same things that the Dominicans were asking but I saw or heard no response from the PM. Is it because he knew he had his Cubans friends coming?

    He could have had a similar program for the Dominicans leaving overseas that would attract the brightest and best to come back home to assist.

    Although I am glad that the Cubans are coming to assist, I think the PM should also extend the same courtesy to Dominicans overseas.

    The PM keeps reminding us that we don’t have all the time in the world to rebuild back the roofs, we have been saying so for so for a very long and I frankly don’t see why it took the PM so long to get this assistance.

    There are other nations that are willing and able to help us. I hope the PM extends the invitation to them too.

  19. peterson
    March 5, 2018

    Mr. PM Are you saying that the people of Dominica did not go to the Dominica State College?
    Are you saying that the people are ‘Dottish”

  20. dee
    March 5, 2018

    ”We are working on the transportation of these people to Dominica ”
    Great that we will be getting the assistance of skilled personnel.
    But in the same breath i hear him asking skilled persons in the Diaspora to return home on a short visit to help rebuild . No mention of any assistance to our own Dominicans who may also wish to make such a sacrifice.
    Is that still more double standards ??????.

  21. Jonathan Y St Jean
    March 5, 2018

    Thanks to our friends, the Cuban people, for coming to assist us in our hour of need.The government needs to reach out to other regional governments for this kind of direct assistance as there is a severe shortage for skilled workers in the short term as we will soon be in another hurricane season.
    Skerritt is asking for skilled Dominicans to come home and do the same, that is lend their expertise to the housing reconstruction, however he makes no mention of transportation assistance.This is shortsighted on his part as if Dominicans overseas don’t incur expenses and possible loss of wages and income in coming to assist.If he can assist the Cubans why won’t he offer to assist the Dominicans who take up his offer.This shows a lack of thorough foresight and planning in the efforts by this government.If farmers need assistance, and this is a good thing, then skilled workers leaving family and coming to assist the country need assistance too.

  22. Faceup
    March 5, 2018

    We papa..New Cuban genaration in DA..Babies for so..

  23. john3 16
    March 5, 2018

    we need 30,000 strong men

  24. Teachable Moments
    March 5, 2018

    I hope Dominicans can use the passage of Maria as a teachable moment. Though its nice to have highly skilled workers come to the island and assist in the recovery but my question is why don’t more Dominicans have the required certifications. The island needs more LICENSED contractors, electricians, carpenter, roofers, etc. After all the damage that Maria did we should be using DOMINICANS to restore the island. Wouldn’t it be better if all the money stayed in Dominica. These Cubans will come here, work and get paid, then they will return to their home with Dominican money to use in Cuba. This is where supporting local is necessary, because if we used local labor. they would then spend their salaries earned in Dominican stores, buying food, gas, paying bills and further helping the recovery. I do hope we are able to learn from these disasters and understand that we need to have the human resources necessary on the island to help ourselves in recovery.

    • Me
      March 6, 2018

      Who was it who closed the Dupigny College for vocational training.

  25. SMA
    March 5, 2018

    please, young men, try and learn the skills from them. Even if it is for free.

  26. Dominican
    March 5, 2018

    All his is helpful of course. I also heard the P.M.’ appeal to similarly skilled Dominicans to come home and help out for a while. I don’t know how the Cubans get remunerated, or by whom but Roosevelty Skerrit intimated that his government is working on transport arrangements. In fairness I trust he will at least make the same arrangements for our own and not just count on their patriotism to feed off their sense of duty because these people too have obligations in their adopted homes overseas. If we can pay for people to come and vote, at least pay them to come and work.

  27. Roger Burnett
    March 5, 2018

    I am grateful for Cuba lending much needed assistance. But this begs the question: when will we place importance on developing a “highly skilled” workforce?

    I stress skilled as against academic.

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