Govt’s broken promises

Published: 27 May 2009
http://guardian.co.tt/business/business/2009/05/27/govt-s-broken-promises

Residents shut the gates of Alutrint’s Aluminum Smelter Complex construction site at Union Estate, La Brea, yesterday as they embarked on massive protest over job shortages and broken promises by Government.

The protest occurred a day after the governments of T&T and China signed an agreement to complete the financing of the Alutrint Aluminum Smelter Complex at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain. However, residents of La Brea said the Government hoodwinked them by promising them jobs on the project if they allowed the construction of the smelter, despite warnings by environmental groups that the smelter will cause pollution and death.

Resident Wendell Superville said instead of employing La Brea residents, hundreds of Chinese expatriates were working on the site. “We want the Chinee out of here. We are the ones who deserve work, but it have no work for we because the Chinee doing everything and we fed up of this,” Superville said.

Superville said the construction site was supposed to employ more than 2,000 workers, but fewer than 50 La Brea residents were employed. “We have electricians, drivers, welders, tradesmen, and certified riggers here. They can’t do this to us. They mad or what! No smelter building here!” Superville said.

Meanwhile, a handful of residents accompanied the media to the construction site where pre-fabricated apartment blocks were constructed to house the working Chinese crews. Scores of Chinese workers dressed in blue coveralls ran inside the buildings when they saw the media. Others peered through the glass windows from indoors. The rooms were crammed with several double-decker beds.

Another resident, Leroy Modeste, said the residents of Square Deal, who live downwind from the smelter site, said residents were unhappy with the property evaluations. “Some people have houses that worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and they are not being compensated.” Modeste said that residents were being forced to accept sub-standard houses at Debe.

Another resident, Kurt Nathaniel, said his house at Square Deal was worth $400,000, but was only valued at $80,000. He explained the entire construction of the smelter was shrouded in secrecy and poor communication with residents. Nathaniel alleged that when the first phase of land excavation began, residents were told that Petrotrin planned to drill for oil. “They never told us it was a smelter. One afternoon I came home from work and saw the entire hill cleared.”

Yet another resident, Steve Joseph, said Government reneged on its promises to provide employment for La Brea residents. “All we need is work and if we cannot get work then no smelter building here,” Joseph said. Fitzgerald Jeffrey, Member of Parliament for La Brea, visited the residents yesterday and promised to air their concerms.