Deputy Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock says the New Democratic Party (NDP) government intends to use the construction phase of the hospital at Arnos Vale to respond to the skilled workers deficit in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
He said that at the same time, he has raised with the contractor, Taiwanese firm Overseas Engineering & Construction Co. (OECC), allegations that non-nationals are being paid more than their Vincentian counterparts.
Leacock told a press conference in Kingstown that his government had also received reports that people were being turned away and told that there were no jobs available at the site, even as the project had fallen a year behind schedule.
He said he had raised these issues in Taiwan, where he led a delegation on an official visit from March 17 to 22.
“We brought to the attention that where skills of equal competence, then there should be no reason for this discrimination between paying those from abroad at a higher rate than those who are from here…” Leacock told the media in Kingstown, as he reported on the visit.
In 2024, the Unity Labour Party government borrowed US$125 million from Taiwan and allocated US$78 million (EC$208 million) to the construction of the hospital.
Leacock, however, said the hospital could cost EC$400 million.
“We cannot have in St. Vincent and the Grenadines … a project of that magnitude of near $400 million while we are continuing to talk of a shortage of skilled labour force in St. Vincent — masons, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, painters, steel vendors, the whole range of services for the construction sector,” Leacock said.
He said the government will try to “advance a manpower plan, training plan”, noting that the Technical College is “less than five minutes” from the hospital site.
The deputy prime minister said the government will proceed with a programme of on-the job-training “so that by the time that this hospital is completed, we would have increased the number of people who are up to the skills requirement for St. Vincent and the Grenadines and had the privilege to have on the job training on that project as a part of our human resource development plan”.
Leacock said that as a human resources manager and deputy prime minister, he intends “to take a deeper and further interest in that matter”.
A media worker asked Leacock how the on-the-job training might affect the existing contract and impact the construction timeline.
During the press conference, Leacock said that the hospital was eight months behind schedule when the NDP government came to office in November.
Since then, it has slipped to 12 months, he said.
“Well, clearly, I made that in the context of my own training and expertise as an HR manager; it is a separate responsibility, so we cannot make that a burden on the existing contractual challenges that the project entails, and that was stated to them,” Leacock responded.
He, however, said that skills development and skills training are priorities for the government.
“… we say they’re earning or you’re learning, and this is a wonderful opportunity for several young men who have no skill, no talent, to learn,” he said.
The deputy prime minister said a conversation will have to take place with the Technical College, adding that perhaps a specific unit should be established to coordinate that on-the-job training without getting in the way of the hospital’s contractual activities.
Leacock also noted that the NDP government has expanded the project into a general hospital, rather than an acute referral hospital, as the ULP government had conceptualised it.
… and these are conversations to be led by the Minister of Health and I do not want to intrude in what it says preserve that we have upgraded that law by including our maternity and paediatric ward, so it now becomes a General Hospital.”
Leacock said that the government would not put anything in place that would slow the hospital’s progress.
“But anything that can complement it and give value added in the process is a clear win-win for both sides.”
Meanwhile, Senator and Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Innovation, Digital Transformation, and Information, Laverne King, who was a member of Leacock’s delegation to Taiwan, added:
“I do believe that fundamentally, it was a missed opportunity by the previous government to put things in place to ensure, given our skills shortage that we have in St Vincent and Grenadines, to ensure that when we have these major capital projects, that we find a way to integrate them.”
King said the NDP government has begun discussions with technical institutes on how to address the current shortage of skilled labour in the country.
“There are specific challenges. So there’s no magic bullet into ensuring that they’ll be on that project next month or the month after that,” the senator said.
She said this is because there are insurance considerations, noting that some of the people who might enrol in the on-the-job-training might be students, some of whom might not yet be 18 years old.
“.. but what is of importance, notice that this government recognises the opportunity, and in recognising the opportunity, we are not sitting by and saying, ‘Well, there’s an issue. We can’t overcome it.’
“What we have done is recognise that we do have a skills shortage that was created by the previous government. What we do recognise is that there’s the opportunity to ensure that we can maximise on the capital projects that exist now and for those that are to come…”
King said that the government is going to speak with the technical institutions and insurance brokers to “find ways in which we could ensure that we integrate our students into these projects in a way that doesn’t open up liability for the government.
“But we are very aware that these capital projects present a clear opportunity for hands-on training for our students, because the reality is that we do have issues with skilled personnel in our country,” King said.
However, the reporter asked King whether she had ever worked on a project of that magnitude.
King asked the reporter whether she had ever been a construction worker.
The reporter then told the minister of state about his experience in construction in St. Lucia, where he was born.
“… so when you are thinking of bringing in students to work on a project, you have to take into consideration the time frame, you have to take into consideration labour use within the laws of the country. You have to take into consideration many, many factors. May I humbly suggest, if you can utilise some of the skilled personnel from that project at the Community College, it will be more beneficial and less costly,” the reporter said.
Responding to the reporter, Leacock said that his team was at the media briefing “to share information for you, and we take lessons where we think that is necessary.
“This is not one of the occasions. And I want to let you know that within the New Democratic Party, there resides a degree and level of competence on the subject matter that may present itself as a troubling matter for you.”
Leacock noted that he had been an HR manager at VINLEC, the state-owned power company, for 11 years.
“And environmental health and training has been a part of my forte,” he said, adding that he has been involved at the level of the International Labour Organisation for more than eight years.
“I’m also a member of the American Society for Training and Development. So, all the components that you think are required to give careful consideration for such an implementation reside in my persona and within the New Democratic Party,” he said.
“And we will not be reckless, but apply due care and due diligence and all that we have to do. And so, before we shoot the project down before it starts, let’s give it time to walk through the nuances,” Leacock said.