President of the T&T Contractors Association (TTCA) Mikey Joseph says Government should re-examine its social programmes and the impact they have on the labour market. He made the comment during the TTCA’s 46th Annual Awards and Banquet ceremony at the Hilton Trinidad, Port-of-Spain, on Saturday, as he complained that some of these programmes were only contributing to the dwindling labour supply.
He added that it makes no sense for the Government to boast about full employment on one hand when contractors continue to have challenges in sourcing labour. Offering a solution, Joseph suggested that technical and vocational skills be taught at the secondary school level. “We are of the view that technical/vocational education and training should be implemented in all secondary schools if we are to have a knowledge-based, skilled and innovative society.”
Overall, Joseph called for an entire package of legislation to be implemented so the construction industry can be operated efficiently. The legislation includes: the Procurement Bill, a national building code, contractor registration and licensing legislation and a lien act. Referring specifically to the Procurement Bill, he said there was need for it to be reintroduced in the Parliament, passed and assented to. While the bill is not perfect, Joseph said it “is a very unique piece of legislation that was developed in large measure, by the citizens of this country through civil society and the private sector, who have contributed over 70 per cent of its contents. “The bill has already been through both Houses of parliament in the last sitting and was fully accepted in the Senate so there should be no reason for this legislation to fail at this point,” he said.
The procurement bill includes a section for public money, according to joseph it states: “The Bill will require that all parties to a transaction involving public money for the acquisition of property and services or the disposal of public property to ensure that their conduct, processes and documentation conform to the objectives of: • Economy, efficiency and competition, • Ethics and fair dealing, • Promotion of national industry and • sustainable development