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3.1 Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier of St. Saviour of the Minister for Transport and Technical Services regarding the employment of local labour on the incinerator project:
What policies, if any, are in place to ensure that as high a proportion as possible of the labour force employed on the incinerator project is locally based?
Connétable M.K. Jackson of St. Brelade (The Minister for Transport and Technical Services):
The engineering procurement and construction contractor, CSBC (Jersey) Limited, is required under the contract with my department to comply fully with the requirements of the Regulations of Undertakings legislation. Applications have been awarded to Spie Batignolles Camerons Limited, the Jersey-registered company subcontracted by CSBC (Jersey) Limited for 6 foreign workers to lead the construction management and for up to 40 French and Portuguese workers working on the construction of the specialist concrete structure that forms the core of the building. While these 40 workers will be peak numbers of imported labour requirements for this element of the works, for example, prior to the arrival of the specialist French process plant engineers on site in the autumn of 2009 when the numbers of specialist foreign workers will increase again, CSBC (Jersey) Limited have endeavoured to ensure that locally qualified, appropriately experienced labour were given the opportunity to work on the project by the placement of an advertisement in the J.E.P. (Jersey Evening Post) from 26th to 31st March this year inclusive. It should also be noted that the construction activities associated with excavation, piling and de-watering have been carried out by local Jersey-based companies, namely AA Langlois Haulage Limited, Amplus Limited and Geomarine Limited, and a number of key Jersey-based
staff have been seconded to the Spie Batignolles Camerons Limited team from Camerons Limited. In addition, my officers are in discussion with officers from Economic Development and CSBC (Jersey) Limited with a view to the suitability of operating a meet-the-buyer event especially for the Energy from Waste Project.
- Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:
Would the Minister confirm when the advertisement was placed and when the company showed its apparent willingness to recruit local labour were the terms defined so that people who had general experience could come along and, with appropriate training, form part of this labour force or was it as with the building of British oil terminals recently, they were simply a ready-made labour force which was imported as a whole and no real attempt was made otherwise?
The Connétable of St. Brelade :
I would like to think not, but I do not have the content of the advertisement with me.
I am quite happy to let the Deputy and States Members have that during the course of
the day.
- Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:
If I could continue. Would the Minister not acknowledge that it looks rather odd that 40 people are apparently specialists in this kind of concrete work and that no one of this skill could be found on the Island? Again, I ask the question, did the 40 people come with skills which were absolutely impossible to find or is it simply the transfer of an existing labour force from one site to another for this particular company?
The Connétable of St. Brelade :
I did ask that question of my officers and was assured that this was certainly not the case, that these people are specialist labour which was unavailable on the Island for this particular project.
- Senator S. Syvret:
Would the Minister for Transport and Technical Services consider supporting the proposition I am planning to bring to the States fairly shortly, to ask the Assembly to re-examine the possibility of introducing work permits for the purposes of protecting employment opportunities for people already resident in Jersey?
The Connétable of St. Brelade :
In effect the Regulations of Undertakings law does that job and I cannot see the necessity of introducing work permits in parallel with this scheme. If there is any tweaking to this scheme that needs to be done I think it would be a far simpler method.
- Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:
A final question. Would the Minister confirm whether or not he asked what training was required in order that locally-based people could have moved into this particular work? Did he assess the kind of training?
The Connétable of St. Brelade :
No, I do not think that is possible. I would suggest that I emphasise entirely what the Deputy is suggesting, that local staff be employed as far as possible on not only this project, but any project in the Island. I am as concerned as he is on the importation of labour where local staff can do it. I would suggest that I will encourage my department as far as possible to use local staff wherever this can be done.