The first batch of Chinese construction workers for the St. Regis/Temenos (Flag) project has arrived in Anguilla and further batches are expected shortly. The new set of foreign employers crowded the porch and reception areas of the Social Security Office late last week to receive their cards and numbers for the employee/employer contributions to the Social Security System.

Chinese nationals at Social Security Office in Anguilla

The Chinese nationals are being brought in by Ashtrom (Anguilla) Limited, understood to be an Israeli company contracted to continue the work at the project, formerly undertaken by Phelps Construction Company. It is further understood that the workers had been previously employed in the Caribbean – possibly in Jamaica.

They are joining a large number of other foreign construction workers not only from regional and extra-regional countries, but as far as India as well. The Indians are working at the Viceroy project. The presence of the imported workers has been occasioned by the shortage of labour to meet the employment needs of the tourism projects now built on the island and is part of what one may call the changing face of Anguilla in the economic, social and cultural life of the island.

Chief Minister and Minister of Labour, the Hon. Osbourne Fleming, spoke to The Anguillian about the importation of the foreign workers. He said there was now an unprecedented shortage of labour in Anguilla and particularly for the St. Regis/Temenos and Viceroy projects.

Another group of Chinese workers at Social Security

“These projects are in full gear…They have advertised on numerous occasions for workers and very few Anguillians have responded and the reason for that is clear – they are all employed somewhere else,” Mr. Fleming stated. “The Government’s position is clear. Having given approval for these projects, we want them built, finished and operational. We want the hotels built so that we can have work for our young people as well as for the Government to begin to get the revenue from the hotels.

“When these projects are in a building stage, the Government does not get very much… Realising that we do not have the workforce, we agreed with the developers to bring in a number of workers to help us get the projects finished. To that end, we have agreed for 250 Chinese nationals to come in to work on the Flag project in addition to the 800-plus Anguillians and other nationals from the Caribbean. We have agreed for the Viceroy project to bring in about 400 Indian workers. If we do not bring in workers, we will never get the projects finished; we will never have places for our young people to work and the Government will never derive any benefits from the projects.”

Mr. Fleming said the imported employees were working well and were being properly accommodated by theie employers. “The people down there have their own rooms, air-conditioned, their own kitchen, own cooks, washers and ironing personnel – everything they have; and that’s why they are not seen very much.

“We have sent in a team of Government agencies from Immigration, Labour, Environment, Health, Police and Disaster Preparedness – to check these places and they have reported that where the workers live is immaculate.”

The Chief Minister emphasised that the gates of the projects were opened to all Anguillians for employment. “The only reason that Government agreed for workers to be imported, is to get these projects finished, but Anguillians must always have the first opportunity,” he added.

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