By RICHARDSON DHALAI Saturday, March 6 2010

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AFTER A DAY'S WORK: A Chinese man is seen walking towards a large tent at the overdue, incomplete Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba yesterday....

WHILE there is nothing to prevent contractors from hiring foreign workers on construction projects, this should not be done to the detriment of local workers who are being laid off from construction sites on an almost daily basis.

Giving this opinion was Contractors Association president Mickey Joseph, when told that Chinese labourers had been brought in apparently to complete work at the long overdue Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.

According to sources, a number of Chinese workers have reportedly been brought in to work alongside local contractors at the still incomplete stadium. When Newsday visited the site yesterday, security officers said no official from the Urban Development Company (Udecott) or the local contractor were available to speak to the media.

However, local workers leaving the compound confirmed the presence of the Chinese labourers saying they had been brought in since last Monday and were living in two large tents at a far corner of the stadium.

One worker said he believed they were not affiliated with the Shanghai Construction Group which had been hired to construct the Prime Minister’s Official Residence and the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA).

The company is also reportedly involved in the construction of a mystery church at Heights of Guanapo, Arima.

Meanwhile, Joseph said he was unaware of the importation of Chinese workers in Tarouba but noted that this trend seems to be prevalent at government construction sites which were being managed by Udecott.

“The question which needs to be asked is how did these workers qualify for work permits when there is so much unemployment in the local work force in the construction sector,” he said. “I am quite sure that the requisite skills can be sourced in the local work force,” he added.

Meanwhile, Princes Town Regional Corporation chairman Kemchan Ramdath said he too was unaware of the presence of the Chinese labourers though he noted that once the requisite building approvals have been obtained by the contractor, there was nothing to prevent contractors from employing foreign labour.

Efforts to contact Udecott communications specialist, Roxanne Stapleton-Whyms proved futile. Meanwhile, Udecott’s website on the stadium did not contain any further update on the project.